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Author: 

Scott 


3 


Walter  Dill 


Title: 

Influencing  men  in 

business 

Place: 

New  York 

Date: 

1919 


9({'gl/S6^f 


MASTER   NEGATIVE   # 


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Scott,  Walter  DiU,  1869- 

^^Iiifluencmg  men  in  Imsinoss;  tlie  psychology  of  argii- 
^nent  and  suggestion,  by  Walter  Dill  Scott  ...     2d  ed. 
New  York,  The  Konald  press  company,  1910.   1919  • 

vii  p.,  1  1.,  11-186  p.  iiicl.  plates.    20"'".     [$1.00  ] 


1.  Advertising.    2.  lUisine.ss.   ,3.  Salesmen  and  salesmanship.       I.  Title. 


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INFLUENCING  MEN 
IN  BUSINESS 


THE  PSYCHOLOGY 


OF 


ARGUMENT  AND  SUGGESTION 


BY 

WALTER  DILL  SCOTT,  Ph.  D. 

Director  of  Bwreau  of  Salesmanship  Researcht  Carnegie  Institute 
of  Technology ;  Director  of  the  Psychological  lAiboratory,  North- 
western University;  President  of  National  Association  of  Adver- 
tising Teachers;  Author  of  ^'Increasing  Human  Efficiency  in 
Bu»ine$s^^*  ^'Psychology  of  Advertising^^*  ^'Psychology  of  PiLblic 
Speaking,'*  and  *' Theory  of  Advertising** 


SECOND  EDITION 

(Third  Printing) 


NEW  YORK 
THE  RONALD  PRESS  COMPANY 

1919 


^''» 


-2  0  -^  4^*11-^ 
Copyright  1911 


BY 


Thb  Ronald  Press  Company 


Copyright  1916 

.     BY 

The  Ronald  Press  Company 


AU  Rights  Reserved 


HMt  ^^F 

\7   I5> 


1!^ 


r/»^  aw^/ior  respectfully  dedicates  this  contribution  to  the 

psychology  of  business  to  the 

YOUNG  BUSINESS  MAN 

whose  interest  is  in  influencing  men  rather  than  in  han- 
dling things;  nnd  who  is  studying  to  make  his 
arguments  more   convincing   and  his 
suggestions  more  coercive. 


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Preface  to  Second  Edition 


In  this  second  edition  the  chapters  have  been 
largely  rewritten.  Old  material  has  been 
omitted  where  such  omission  seemed  desirable, 
and  all  the  chapters  have  been  amplified  by  the 
addition  of  new  material.  This  revision  was 
necessary  because  of  the  very  rapid  advance  in 
the  science  of  applied  psychology. 

Since  the  issuance  of  the  first  edition  of  this 
work  various  contributions  on  Argumentation 
and  Suggestion  have  appeared  in  print,  but  the 
most  notable  is  that  of  Professor  Hollingworth 
in  his  book,  "Advertising  and  Selling.'' 

Walter  Dill  Scott. 

Evanston,  Illinois, 
August  15,  19 1 6. 


i 


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1 


Page 
II 

39 


CONTENTS 

Chapter 

^    I     Introductory   .        .        .        . 

^     II     An  Analysis  of  Deliberation-  . 

III  An  Analysis  of  Suggestion     . 

IV  What  Is  Your  Method  of  Deciding 
Questions  and  Reaching  Conclu- 
sions?   

Z'  V     When   to   Use   Arguments   in   In- 
fluencing Men     .... 

VI     When  to  Use  Suggestions  in  In- 
fluencing Men    .        .        .  .101 
VII  i    Making  Arguments  Effective  .    115 
VIII     Making  Suggestions  Effective  .    155 


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CHAPTER  I 
INTRODUCTORY 


OUTLINE 


I.    Business   Success   is    Largely   Dependent   upon 

Ability  to  Influence  Men 
II.     To  Explain  How  Men  are  Influenced  is  a  Problem 
for  Psychology 

III.  Typical    Business    Problems    for    Psychological 

Solution 

IV.  Appeals  to  Reason 

V.     Suggestion  is  a  More  Subtle  Force  than  Reason 
VI.    All  Methods  of  Influencing  Men  may  be  Classified 
either  as  Argument  or  as  Suggestion 


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CHAPTER  I 
INTRODUCTORY 

L  Business  Success  is  Largely  Dependent 
UPON  Ability  to  Influence  Men 

During  the  last  few  decades  the  business 
world  has  brought  about  a  complete  revolution 
in  the  methods  of  manufacturing,  distributing, 
and  selling  goods.  That  the  revolution  has 
been  beneficial  and  important  no  business  man 
will  deny.  But  however  important  these  things 
are,  the  business  man  realizes  that  his  most 
pressing  problem  is  methods  of  influencing  men 
rather  than  the  handling  of  things. 

The  young  man  looking  forward  to  a  career  •/ 
sees  that  the  man  who  has  unusual  ability  in 
handling  men  is  sure  to  attain  the  position  of 
superintendent  or  manager;  but  that  the  man 
who  has  great  cunning  in  handling  material 
things  is  not  thereby  assured  of  a  position  above 
that  of  a  skilled  mechanic. 

II.  To  Explain  How  Men  are  Influenced 
is  a  Problem  for  Psychology 

The  business  world  is  now  in  possession  of 
many  thoroughly  established  laws  and  principles 

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12      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

for  the  manufacture  of  goods  and  their  preser- 
vation and  transportation ;  for  the  best  utiliza- 
tion of  tools  and  equipment;  for  the  generation 
of  power,  and  for  numerous  processes  con- 
nected with  the  handling  of  material  things. 
The  physical  sciences  have  made  their  contribu- 
tions, and  the  business  world  profiting  thereby 
has  been  enabled  to  bring  about  this  revolu- 
tion. 

The  business  world  has  not  been  able  to 
revolutionize  its  methods  of  handling  and  in- 
fluencing men.  The  young  man  preparing  for 
his  future  career  has  not  been  able  to  secure 
adequate  instruction  in  methods  of  controlling 
men.  He  could  enter  a  technical  school  and 
be  assured  of  securing  practical  instruction  in 
dealing  with  any  desired  class  of  material 
things.  Just  as  there  can  be  no  technical 
schools  except  as  they  are  founded  upon  the 
sciences,  so  there  can  be  no  adequate  instruction 
in  methods  of  influencing  men  unless  it  is 
founded  upon  psychology  —  the  particular 
science  which  deals  with  the  thoughts  and  acts 
of  men. 

Although  the  science  of  psychology  is  not  a 
completed  science,  and  even  though  its  incom- 
pleteness is  especially  apparent  in  some  particu- 


Introductory  13 

lars  having  special  bearing  upon  the  problems 
of  business,  yet  its  great  fundamental  principles 
are  well  worked  out  and  are  of  prime  Impor- 
tance. 

III.  Typical  Business  Problems  for  Psy- 

CHOLOGICAL  SOLUTION 

The  purpose  of  the  present  work  is  to  set 
forth  certain  established  facts  and  principles  of 
psychology  which  have  a  most  direct  and  prac- 
tical bearing  upon  the  problem  of  influencing 
men  under  conditions  existing  in  the  business 
world.  Typical  examples  of  definite  business 
V  problems  for  psychological  solution  are  such  as 
the  following: 

1.  How  can  I  Induce  my  employees  to  in- 
crease the  quantity  and  Improve  the  quality  of 
their  work  ? 

2.  How  can  I  induce  particular  men  to  enter 
my  employ? 

3.  How  can  I  sell  you  my  line  of  goods  by 
personal  appeal  ? 

4.  How  can  I  induce  you  to  purchase  this 
same  line  of  goods  If  I  confine  my  selling  plan 
to  printed  advertising? 


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14      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

IV.  Appeals  to  Reason 

There    are    business    men   who    have    been 
eminently  successful  in  handling  men,  and  who 
because  of  their  successes  assert  that  our  four 
typical  problems  have  been  definitely  solved. 
^They  assert  that  their  success  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  they  respect  the  reasoning  power  of  men. 
They  secure  improved  service  from  employees 
by  showing  them  the  advantages  of  such  im- 
provement.   They  rely  upon  the  argument  that 
improved  service  leads  to  increased  wages  or 
promotion.     They  secure  the  services  of  new 
men  by  presenting  the  advantages  of  the  prof- 
fered position  In  a  logical  manner.     In  selling 
goods  they  analyze  "tlielr  propositions  to  find 
the  strongest  arguments  in  favor  of  the  goods 
and  then  the  arguments  are  arranged  in  a  logi- 
cal and  climactic  order.    In  preparing  copy  for 
an  advertisement  they  use  the   "reason-why" 
method  and  attempt  to  make  the  reader  feel 
that  there  is  "a  reason  why." 

V.  Suggestion  is  a  More  Subtle  Force 
THAN  Reason 

There  Is  another  group  of  men,  fully  as  suc- 
cessful, who  assure  us  that  their  successes  in 


Introductory  i  r 

handling  men  are  due  to  a  force  far  more  subtle 
than  reasoning.     They  grant  the  possibility  of 
reasoning  with  men,  and  even  concede  that  on 
paper  It  seems  the  wisest  thing  to  do.    In  prac- 
tice, however,  they  have  but  little  confidence  In 
argumentation,  for  they  believe  that  men  In  the 
business   world   do   not   frequently   carry   out 
elaborate  processes  of  reasoning.     In  securing 
increased  efficiency  from  employees  these  suc- 
cessful managers  of  men  claim  that  they  have 
been  successful  because  they  have  used  sugges- 
tion^ rather  than  argument;  because  they  have 
appealed  to  "the  subconscious  self"  rather  than 
to  the  Intellect;  because  they  have  thus  secured 
Immediate    action    rather    than    deliberation. 
They  have  employed  suggestion   rather  than 
argumentation    not    only    for    Influencing   em- 
ployees but  also  for  securing  the  services  of 
new  men,  for  selling  by  personal  appeal,  and 
for  selling  by  advertising. 

VI.  All  Methods  of   Influencing  Men 
.    MAY,  be  Classified  either  as  Argu- 
ment OR  AS  Suggestion 

Since  business  success   Is  largely  dependent 
upon  ability  to   Influence  men,   and   since   all 


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1 6      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

methods  of  exerting  such  influence  may  be 
classified  under  our  two  headings  of  Argument 
and  Suggestion,  it  is  of  very  great  importance 
that  we  should  be  in  a  position  to  judge  cor- 
rectly the  contention  of  the  two  classes  of  suc- 
cessful men  as  cited  above — the  one  advocating 
argument  (reason)  and  the  other  suggestion. 
To  enable  us  to  pass  judgment  wisely  upon  the 
respective  claims  we  must  understand  exactly 
what  are  the  results  secured  by  argument  and 
the  results  secured  by  suggestion.  Our  point 
of  view  must  be  that  of  the  man  who  is  being 
influenced.  What  mental  processes  normally 
take  place  as  a  result  of  argument  (the  pre- 
sentation of  arguments)  and  what  mental 
processes  normally  result  from  presenting  sug- 
gestions? These  questions  must  be  answered 
before  we  are  in  a  position  to  decide  whether 
argument  or  suggestion  is  the  better  foundation 
for  the  methods  of  influencing  men. 


CHAPTER  II 
AN  ANALYSIS  OF  DELIBERATION 


OUTLINE 

Deliberation  Results  from  the  Presenting  of  Argu- 
ments or  Reasons 
A  typical  Act  of  Deliberation  Consists  of: 

I.    An  Idea  of  Two  or  More  Diverse  Things  Only 
One  of  Which  May  be  Chosen 
II.    An  Idea  of  the  Steps  Necessary  to  Secure  the 
Things 

III.  A  Feeling  of  Value  Attaching  to  Each  of  the 

Things 

IV.  A  Comparison  of  Relative  Values 
V.    A  Conviction  and  Execution 


11     . 


CHAPTER  II 


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AN  ANALYSIS  OF  DELIBERATION 

Deliberation  Results  from  the  Present- 
ing Arguments  or  Reasons* 

• 

In  the  following  analysis  of  the  results  of  an 
argument  it  is  assumed  that  the  argument  is 
good  and  that  the  man  being  appealed  to  is 
caused  to  consider  or  to  deliberate.  We  shall 
try  to  discover  what  is  meant  by  such  expres- 
sions as: 

**What  do  I  do  when  I  am  deliberating?** 
''What  do  you  do  when  you  deliberate?" 
To  make  the  analysis  concrete  and  definite 
and  to  see  its  bearings  upon  our  four  typical 
problems  the  questions  may  be  put  in  this  form : 
What  do  you  do — 

.1.  When  you  deliberate  as  to  whether  you 
shall  change  your  method  of  work? 

2.  When  you  are  deliberating  as  to  whether 
you  shall  accept  or  reject  a*  proffered  change  in 
position? 

3.  When  you  are  deliberating  as  to  whether 
you  shall  purchase  or  reject  the  goods  offered 
by  a  salesman? 

19 


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20      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

4.  When  you  are  debating  as  to  whether  you 
shall  respond  to  an  advertisement? 

A  Typical  Act  of  Deliberation  Consists 
OF: 

I.  An  Idea  of  Two  or  More  Diverse 
Things  Only  One  of  Which  May  be 
Chosen 

If  I  am  attempting  to  induce  you  to  change 
your  method  of  work,  you  deliberate  only  if 
you  consider  what  I  propose,  and  if  my  proposi- 
tion is  in  only  partial  possession  of  your  mind — 
when  your  thought  of  my  proposition  is  not 
free   from  your  thought  of  your  method  of 
working;  when  you  have  in  mind  first  the  one 
method  and  then  the  other,  and  even  when  you 
are  thinking  of  the  one,  you  are  aware  that  the 
other  is  still  to  be  thought  of.     First  the  new 
and  then  the  habitual  method  of  work  occupies 
the  focus  of  attention,  but  at  no  time  does  either 
secure  the  full  undivided  attention.    As  soon  as 
you    have    settled    on    one    alternative    and 
thoroughly  banished  the  other  your  delibera- 
tion has  ceased. 

If  I  am  attempting  to  induce  you  to  leave 
your  present  position  and  to  accept  a  position 


An  Analysis  of  Deliberation 


21 


with  me,  you  may  be  said  to  deliberate  upon 
the  proposition  if  you  seriously  consider  it  In 
contrast  to  your  present  position.     During  the 
deliberation  the  alternatives  successively  enter 
the  focus  of  attention.     Reasons  for  retaining 
the  old  position  and  reasons  for  accepting  the 
new  keep  passing  through  your  mind.   You  feel 
all  the  time  that  the  problem  Is  not  solved  and 
that  before  you  finish  you  are  again  to  think  of 
the  alternative  parti'ally  banished  from  thought. 
If  I  am  a  salesman  and  attempt  to  sell  you 
my  particular  line  of  goods  you  do  deliberate 
upon  the  purchase  If  you  think,  of  the  goods  as 
possible  purchases  but  have  a  feeling  that  other 
goods  must  at.  least  be  considered.    The  other 
goods  may  never  be  fully  in  your  consciousness 
but  their  presence  must  at  least  be  sufficient  to 
make  you  feel  that  the  purchase  of  other  goods 
is  possible  and  worthy  of  consideration.     My 
line  of  goods  does  not  Impress  you  as  the  only 
thing  to  be  considered.     In  considering  them 
you  have  a  feeling  that  the  evidence  Is  not  all 
in,  and  so  you  are  led  to  consider,  more  or  less 
definitely,  competing  lines  of  goods  or  to  con- 
sider the  advisability  of  not  purchasing. 

When  you  read  an  advertisement  and  de- 
liberate as  to  whether  you  shall  purchase  the 


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22      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

goods  or  not,  the  advertisement  falls  to  occupy 
your  complete   attention.     You  compare   the 
goods  advertised  with  other  similar  goods,  or 
you  compare  purchasing  with  not  purchasing  at 
all.     The  competing  thoughts  may  for  a  time 
practically  banish  the  advertisement  from  your 
mind.     In  some  cases  the  advertisement  seems 
to  hold  the  attention  continuously,  but  all  the 
time  you  realize  that  there  are  other  possible 
goods  and  so  you  consider  the  advertised  goods 
in  their  relationship  to  the  other  and  perhaps 
better  known  goods.    You  are  said  to  have  an 
idea  of  two  or  more  acts  or  ends  even  though 
one  only  is  clear,  and  the  other  present  only  to 
the  extent  of  making  you  aware  that  there  is 
another  to  which  you  could  turn  your  attention 
if  necessary. 

A  Typical  Act  of  Deliberation  Consists 
OF: 

II.  An  Idea  of  the  Steps  Necessary  to 
Secure  the  Things 

I  shall  purchase  either  a  new  encyclopedia  or 
a  new  typewriter.  I  can  not  afford  to  purchase 
both  at  this  time.  I  am  deliberating  as  to  which 
would  be  more  useful.     I  have  tried  to  get  an 


An  Analysis  of  Deliberation       23 

adequate  idea  of  each  but  I  find  that  my  ideas 
are  not  merely  of  encyclopedia  and  typewriter, 
but  rather  of  myself-securing-and-possessing- 
the-encyclopedia,  and  of  myself-securing-and- 
possessing-the-typewriter.  I  do  not  conceive  of 
these  possible  purchases  as  things  in  the  ab- 
stract but  myself  as  purchasing  them  is  an  essen- 
tial part  of  my  deliberation.  In  imagination  I 
go  down  to  the  book-store  and  select  the 
volumes;  in  imagination  I  go  to  the  telephone 
and  ask  to  have  the  typewriter  sent  up  on  ap- 
proval. In  imagination  I  take  the  steps  neces- 
sary to  secure  the  things.  This  taking  of  the 
necessary  steps  is  an  important  part  in  delibera-/ 
tion.  In  anticipation  I  try  out  the  thing  pro- 
posed. 

If  I  am  thoroughly  convinced  that  I  want  a 
thing  I  will  take  the  trouble  to  find  out  what 
steps  are  necessary  to  secure  it.  If,  however,  it 
was  a  matter  of  but  little  difference  which  of 
two  purchases  I  should  make,  I  would  make  the 
one  that  caused  me  the  least  thought.  If  of  two 
equally  desirable  advertised  commodities  one 
gave  me  full  instructions  as  to  how  I  should 
place  my  order  and  the  other  left  me  to  think  it 
out,  I  should  take  the  line  of  least  resistance 
and  order  the  one  which  gave  the  instructions. 


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24      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

FuU  directions  as  to  the  necessary  steps  for 
placing  the  order  cause  me  to  form  an  image  of 
myself  as  ordering.  This  projection  of  myself 
in  imagination  into  the  future  and  into  the  acts 
necessary  for  placing  the  order  greatly  increases 
the  chances  that  I  shall  respond  favorably  to 
the  appeal. 

In  deliberation  the  idea  of  the  necessary 
steps  may  be  very  vague  and  symbolic  but  in 
some  form  it  is  undoubtedly  present.  In  per- 
suading  men  it  is  wisejtomake  this  idca"Q"f  the 
il^£^?sary  steps^aTa^ar  and  distinct  as  j^sible 
because  of  the  vcry^important  part  it  plays  in 
deliberation.  The  neglec^of  this  point  has 
weakened  many  attempts  to^Tniruence  mea, 

A  Typical  Act  of  Deliberation  Consists 

OF: 

HI.  A  Feeling  of  Value  Attaching  to 
Each  of  the  Things 

Not  only  are  we  capable  of  having  knowledge 
about  possible  objects  of  choice,  but  these  ends 
thrill  us  more  or  less  with  pleasure  or  dis- 
pleasure. The  ^^thriir'  may  be  very  mild  but 
it  IS  an  essential  part  of  an  act  of  deliberation. 
We  are  creatures  with  feelings,  and  unless  a 


An  Analysis  of  Deliberation       25 

thing  awakens  this  feeling  of  value  it  is  dropped 
from  consideration. 

We  deliberate  over  a  thing  proposed  only  so 
long  as  it  appears  to  us  to  be  'Vorth  while"; 
and  that  it  may  be  worth  while  it  must  appeal 
directly  or  indirectly  to  our  fundamental  in- 
stincts or  to  our  acquired  tendencies  to  action. 
It  must  be  in  line  with  our  ambitions  and  fixed 
purposes.  It  must  make  an  appeal  having  some  * 
relationship  to  human  sentiment  and  to  human 
emotions.  It  must  seem  to  advance  our  inter- 
ests in  some  way. 

If  a  series  of  arguments  succeeds  merely  in 
convincing  us  that  we  ought  to  perform  a  cer- 
tain act  but  does  not  make  that  act  seem  valu- 
able, and  thus  create  a  desire  to  perform  the 
act,  the  arguments  have  not  been  successful. 

If  I  propose  that  you  change  your  method  of 
work  the  proposed  change  will  not  be  consid- 
ered by  you  unless,  to  a  degree,  it  awakens 
hope,  creates  enthusiasm,  or  appeals  to  you  as 
being  worth  while.  It  must  in  some  way  make 
its  appeal  to  human  interest  and  human  senti- 
ment. 

If  I  propose  that  you  accept  a  proffered  posi- 
tion you  will  not  consider  the  matter  unless  the 
new  position  is  so  presented  that  it  appeals  to 


'K 


■w 


assi 


>     ! 


26 


1  '^  '  ■  ' 

i  '  ^ 

li 

m^ 


•]ii 


I 


i 


Influencing  Men  in  Business 


your  self-interest—to  your  HpqiV.  / 

tlon.     The  salesman's  tal  s    "e,       ^'''"" 

sideration  if  it  seem!  Z     ff  ''°"'  '°"' 

of  the  reader  a  de.lr.  f  '""•'*  '"  'he  mind 
obre,-!-  Tuu  t  .  °''  '''=  possession  of  the 
object.  Although  deliberation  is  a  iorical 
process  ,t  ,s  continued  only  so  long  as  the  S 
being    considered    continue    to    L'kt'  t^ 

A  Typ,„i  Act  of  D.uberation  Consists 
IV.  A  Comparison  of  Relative  Values 

wh!AerTsh'  >/"''  ''""  '''"^""ing  as  to 
Whether  I  should  secure  my  recreation  from 

golf  or  from  tennis.    I  found  it  impracticable  to 
play  both.    When  I  tried  to  "think  it  ot  r  "  mv 
difficulty  was  in  finding  any  satisf acto^ 'bal 
for  comparison.     Golf  is  more  expensive  than 
tenn,s,  but  has  social  features  that  are  not  pos 
ble  m  tennis.    Golf  consumes  more  time  than 
tenms  but  ,s  not  so  exhausting.    Golf  is  more  in 
vogue  ,„st  now  than  tennis  but  afford   lL7e  1 
pleasure.    Golf  can  be  played  more  monAs  o 
the  year  but  tennis  can  be  played  when  I  have 


An  Analysis  of  Deliberation 


7 


but  a  half  hour  for  recreation.  Most  of  my 
friends  play  golf  but  I  can  play  tennis  better 
than  golf.  None  of  these  classifications  seemed 
satisfactory,  but  I  find  that  I  have  settled  the 
matter  by  classifying  the  two  forms  of  recrea- 
tion according  to  the  efficiency  standard,  i.e., 
the  production  per  minute.  Tennis  gives  more 
exercise  per  minute  than  golf.  The  double 
standard  of  economy  of  time  and  of  the  amount 
of  exercise  secured,  made  it  possible  for  me  to 
decide  in  favor  of  tennis. 

This  difficulty  of  classification  is  not  at  all 
exceptional  as  it  is  more  or  less  characteristic  of 
the  act  of  comparison  as  carried  out  in  delibera- 
tion. The  real  difficulty  lies  in  establishing  a 
standard  by  which  a  choice  may  be  made  among 
several  courses  of  action.  Doubtless  these  acts 
of  classification  and  comparison  are  sometimes 
carried  out  rapidly  and  without  special  con- 
scious attention;  but  in  a  typical  act  of  delibera- 
tion they  are  performed  as  acts  of  volition,  of 
which  we  are  distinctly  aware  at  the  moment  of 
making  the  comparison. 

When  you  listen  to  my  arguments  in  favor  of 
my  merchandise  and  are  led  to  deliberate  upon 
the  purchase,  you  consciously  bring  together  the 
advantages  or  values  of  my  goods  in  compari- 


V' 


El  in 

Ifl 


f 

I- 


iijii 
I. 


Ilrl! 


28 


Influencing  Men  in  Business 


son  with  some  competing  goods  and  noc  .u 
judgment  of  more  valuable  nr  /  ^  '  ^* 
upon  them.  You  not  onlv'th'^:;  '  "'^j 
then  of  the  ofh^r   «      r    ^   •  °^  °"^  and 

other,  but  you  tl  'nk  of  thT    "  ^f  ^'°"  ^°  ^^^ 
.standing  in'the  par^'^^^^^^^^^^^^^  - 

'ng  a  greater  or  a  less  value     TT  1^  t   ^^"^ 
surh  -,  ^^.^       •  value.     Unless  there  i<! 

such  a  comparison  and  unless  if  .'«  m«  , 

a  conscious  process,  you  Tan  1?  I        7  ""^  ^"' 
deliberated  at  all.  ^  ^'  '^^'^  ^°  ^^^^ 

A  TmcAL  Act  op  Deliberation  Consists 
V.  A  Conviction  and  Execution 

Iibe?a:il\:ZT?-  ^"  ^^^^-^^^  -d  be- 
cause thTs    ast  s^^  (      "  "'"'^  '^^'"P^^^^^  be. 

isnotca:r!:"rfctf%^tr"^^^^ 

-nts  made  to  influenc/^tlst-^^^^ 

the  arguments  will  cau«!^  fh«  7   '    ^' 

de.ib„a.e  bu.  wH.  LtbTa  dt  uT.r .o' «  r  tb"  ^ 
final  and  essential  step.  ""^^  ^^^ 

When  the  mind  Da«!«^c  f-^ 


'\^ 


An  Analysis  of  Deliberation       29 

perfect  syllogism  consists  of  three  parts — the 
major  premise,  the  minor  premise,  and  the  con- 
clusion.   Thus : 

All  metals  conduct  electricity. 

Aluminum  is  a  metal. 

Therefore  aluminum  will  conduct  electricity. 

*'A11  metals  conduct  electricity,"  is  the  major 
premise.  "Aluminum  is  a  metal,"  is  the  minor 
premise.  "Therefore  aluminum  will  conduct 
electricity,"  is  the  conclusion.  After  we  have 
thought  the  major  premise,  and  after  we  have 
classified  aluminum  as  a  metal,  we  are  abso- 
lutely compelled  to  pass  on  to  the  conclusion 
that  aluminum  will  conduct  electricity. 

Frequently  arguments  are  put  into  the  form 
of  an  implied  syllogism.  Such  arguments  may 
readily  be  expanded  into  the  form  of  the  com- 
plete syllogism.  Thus,  "He  ought  to  be  sup- 
ported by  the  state  for  he  is  an  old  soldier,"  is 
an  abbreviation  of — 

All  old  soldiers  should  be  supported  by  the 

state. 
This  man  is  an  old  soldier. 
Therefore  he  should  be  supported  by  the 

state. 

The  life  insurance  agent  occasionally  puts  his 


II 


I 


30 


III  1 


ii      \ 


'I 


Influencing  Men  in  Business 


arguments  Into  the  form  of  .n  •      r  ^ 

gism;  thus,  -You  ouahfTn  ?V      ""^^'"^  ^^"o- 

cause  you;  wife  neet  .?       "  °"'  '  P°^'^y  ^e- 

■'   "'    *^ife  needs  the  orofprfmr.  "     t-i  • 
implies  the  syllogism—         P^^^e^t'on.       This 

Takm.  out  a  pCky  ,,  ,  p„,,^,„„  ^_^^  ^^^ 
Therefore  you  ought  to  take  out  a  poMcy. 

"tate  would  be  a  profitable  i„ve't;„e„Tr    • "' 

Th^^^real  estate  is  i„  a  growing  part  of  the 
Therefore  it  is  a  profitable  investment. 

«rengthe„ed,  if  it  i,  Jjid   buV  ,h    f  ,1"'""'' 
made  more  apparent  iffti.         ■    '  '"""^  « 

The  attempt  to  compel  assenf  k 
arguments   in   a   sylloll  T       ^  P^^^^^ting 

throw  the  hearer  into  f  H^        ""   ^'   ^''^^'   ^o 

earer  mto  a  defensive  attitude.  The 


An  Analysis  of  Deliberation       31 

citadel  of  reason  can  not  ordinarily  be  stormed 
^^  successfully  by  arguments  without  awakening 
some  resistance.  When  the  public  has  taken  an 
attitude  of  self-defense,  and  attempts  to  avoid 
our  proposals,  the  arguments  must  be  strong  if 
they  are  to  result  in  victory. 

The  syllogistic  argument  is  a  method  of  get- 
ting the  intellectual  *'drop"  on  the  public,  and 
compelling  them  to  hold  up  their  hands.  When 
thus  convinced  the  hands  are  brought  down  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  the  funds  turned  over  are 
the  minimum  amounts. 

Any  man  will  sign  a  note  for  a  thousand 
dollars  if  a  revolver  is  held  against  his  head  and 
he  is  threatened  with  death  unless  he  signs.  The 
law,  however,  will  not  hold  him  for  the  pay- 
ment of  the  note,  on  the  ground  that  it  was 
signed  under  duress.  A  man  convinced  by  the 
sheer  force  of  logic  is  likely  to  avoid  the  very 
action  which  would  seem  to  be  the  only  natural 
result  of  the  conviction  thus  secured.  This 
situation  is  expressed  by  the  familiar  proverb, 
#  "A  man  convinced  against  his  will  is  of  the 
same  opinion  still."  The  truthfulness  of  this 
statement  is  continually  illustrated  by  your 
actions  and  mine. 

My  wife  and  Dr.  Fletcher  made  me  admit 


(I 


Ill 


|! 


i; 


ill 


m 


f 


32      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

that  I  should  chew  my  food  with  great  care 
The  argument  as  presented  was :  - 

A  sensible  man  is  one  who  takes  pains  to 
acquire  habus  that  will  prolong  life  and 
increase  human  efficiency 

SSe' -fT'""' u^  ^°°^  '^  ^"^^  ^  habit. 
food  ''"^^^^  masticating  my 

iwo  years  ago  I  workerl  nn  ^u^ 
for  and  agaln^'the  „ectt:'f   1""' 
t.on  each  year.     When  die   argumeL  wet 
formulated  in  my  mind  I  was  thC^MyT: 

y™Hf  f*:r""?'  °'  '^■'■"^  ^  vacarioIeT^ 

When  the  time  for  my  vacation  arrived  I  spent 
the  time,  not  on  the  golf  links,  but  in  worS 
on  my  book,  "Increasing  Human  Efficielc*  ' 

du«  i    r'^  t'*'""*  ''™'"™  would  con- 
dutt  elecmcey  I  would  be  impressed  by  Z 


*> 


An  Analysis  of  Deliberation      33 

If  I  already  believed  that  a  soldier  should  be 
supported  by  the  state;  that  real  estate  is  a 
profitable  investment;  that  Fletcherizing  is  de- 
sirable ;  that  vacations  are  essential,  then  the  syl- 
logism proving  the  case  would  appeal  to  me  as 

s  a^p^al  t£us^s 

chief  use  we  make^of  the  syllogism  is  to  put 
together  the  grounds  upon  which  we  would 
have  been  logically  justified  in  reaching  the  con- 
clusion we  already  hold  or  in  performing  the 
act  which  we  have  already  performed. 

The  Aristotelian  logic — arguments  pre- 
sented in  the  form  of  a  syllogism — is  not  to  be 
despised  by  the  business  man.  It  has  a  place 
even  though  that  place  may  not  be  so  great  as 
assumed  by  some.  The  weakness  of  the  syllo- 
gism is  that  it  compels  assent  rather  than  wins 
approval.  Since  the_  actions  of  men  are  not 
regulated  exclusively  by  reason^  dependence 
uponTogical  arguments_is  precarious^ 

A  conviction  and  an  execution  may  result 
without  deliberation  (e.g.,  the  result  of  imita- 
tion) so  they  are  not  the  peculiarly  characteriz- 
ing features  of  deliberation.  The  steps  which 
precede  the  conviction  differ  in  acts  which  may 
be  classed  as  deliberative  and  in  those  which 


I 


III 


0 


STAINED  PAGE(S) 


? 


34         INFIUENCING  MeN  IN  BUSINESS 

should  not  be  so  classed.     We  sho„l^ 
the  terra   deliberation  for  th,  ,  ''f "" 

including  the  five  steps.  ''""'''"'''  «* 

You  may  properly  be  said  to  have  deliber 

""orK  (or  to  adopt  the  new)  : 

„hl;  ^^■"  J""  '""''  '"^  definitely  i„  „ind 
what  ,s  .nvolved  in  the  proposed  eha'n^e 

2.  After  you  have  imagined  yourself  as  tak 
Z:^:  """'"'  "'''  '■>  'ff-  '"e  proposed 

-9ffi;r::^;:srtbS.'" 

J-  And  then  have  taken  steps  to  put  vo„r 
conviction  into  execution.  '^ 

a  fie  W  "t"°"  "'"'  °'"  "=''  "^  ■'^  ">'de  with    I 
a  feel  ng  of  greater  certainty  because  of  Z    ' 

formal  steps  taken  in  reaching  it.    Th  re   s  an    I 
assurance  in  conviction  after  due  dX    ion 

reached  wi.h:uXr^tra;eri;t," 


# 


An  Analysis  of  Deliberation       35 

to  tenaciously,  even  when  assailed  by  later  argu- 
ments against  the  wisdom  of  the  act. 

The  science  of  chemistry  has  rendered  a 
great  service  to  the  manufacturer  of  material 
things  by  showing  him  exactly  all  the  elements 
included  in  the  material  with  which  he  works. 
The  mM||facturer  adopts  his  methods  to  utilize 
as  far  ^possible  all  the  elements  indicated  by 
the  chemical  analysis.  When  the  chemist  re- 
ports the  essential  constituents  of  cement  in  the 
slag  secured  from  steel,  the  manufacturer  is 
enabled  to  convert  his  dump  heap  into  a  valu- 
able by-product. 

The  science  of  psychology  makes  clear  to 
the  superintendent  and  to  the  salesman  the  fac- 
tors involved  in  an  act  of  deliberation.  The 
superintendent  may  thus  persuade  his  employees 
more  successfully  when  he  remembers  that  a 
clear  idea  of  the  desired  change  is  the  first  step 
in  deliberation.  He  may  avoid  trouble  by  pro- 
viding that  the  how  of  the  proposed  change 
shall  be  presented  to  the  men.  He  may  decide 
to  adopt  some  other  method  than  argument 
when  he  appreciates  the  mental  processes  in- 
cluded in  the  normal  reaction  from  arguments. 
Every  man  whose  success  depends  upon  the  in- 
fluencing of  men  may  be  benefited  by  utilizing 


11  ' 


m 


\: 


I 


36      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

the  findings  of  science  rather  than  by  followinff 
the  rule-of-thumb  or  the  traditions  of  the  house 
Ihe  salesman  may  make  radical  changes  in 
his  method  when  he  realizes  that  every  act  of 
deliberation   includes    a    feeling   as   to   value 
which  attaches  itself  to  each  of  the  possible 
choices  of  things  or  of  acts.     He  may  present 
his  case  more  skilfully  when  he  knows  that  the 
goods  offered  will  be  classified  and  compared  in 
the  course  of  the  deliberation.     He  may  bring 
the  argument  to  a  successful  climax  by  keeping 
ever  m  mind  that  conviction  and  execution  are 
the    final    and    most    essential    parts    of    the 
deliberation. 

The  manager  of  a  steel  plant  should  know 
the  chemical  constituents  of  the  materials  used 
The  salesman  or  the  superintendent  who  uses 
arguments  should  know  what  mental  processes 
are  awakened  in  the  minds  of  men  by  the  pre- 
senting of  arguments.  Through  understanding 
the  workings  of  the  minds  of  his  men  he  should 
know  (i)   when  it  Is  wise  to  resort  to  argu- 
ments, and  (2)  how  to  construct  them  to  secure 
the  maximum  results.    The  answer  to  these  two 
questions  will  be  taken  up  in  later  chapters.* 

•Chapters  V  and  VII 


i 


CHAPTER  III 
AN  ANALYSIS  OF  SUGGESTION 


OUTLINE 

Traditional  and  Modern  Conception  of  Suggestion 
I.    The  Working  of  Suggestion  is  Dependent  upon 
the  Impulsive,  Dynamic  Nature  of  Ideas 
XL     Suggestions    are    Given    by    External    Objects 
(usually  Persons)  and  Result  in  Acts  Similar 
to  Imitative  Acjts 

III.  Suggestion  Includes  No  Comparison  or  Criti- 

cism- "^ 

IV.  Suggestion   Secures   Direct   Response   Without 

Any  Delay 
Illustration  of  Principles 


I 


\ 


CHAPTER  III 
AN  ANALYSIS  OF  SUGGESTION 

Traditional  and  Modern  Conception  of 
Suggestion 

The  ancients  defined  man  as  the  reasoning 
animal.  When  they  attempted  to  comprehend 
the  workings  of  his  mind,  it  was  by  contrast 
with  the  mind  of  the  animal  which  was  supposed 
to  be  devoid  of  reason.  They  thought  of  man 
as  responding  normally  only  to  logical  appeals. 
Hence  the  problems  connected  with  influencing 
man  were  turned  over  to  the  logicians  for  solu- 
tion. 

Three  centuries  before  the  Christian  era,  that 
great  thinker,  Aristotle,  gave  to  the  world  a 
master  work  on  logic.  He  showed  exactly  how 
arguments  must  be  presented  if  they  are  to  be 
presented  logically.  The  syllogism  was  fully 
explained.  Methods  of  analyzing  and  classify- 
ing arguments  were  presented  in  detail.  The 
work  of  Aristotle  was  so  accurate  and  so  com- 
plete that  it  dominated  the  thinking  of  all  logi- 
cians for  twenty  centuries.  During  all  these 
ages  the  only  authoritative  source  of  informa- 
tion concerning  the  ever-recurring  problems  of 

39 


I 


gg^g^ 


I, 


T 


\.  1 


I 


J.  * 


t 

V 


40      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

influencing  men  was  the  standard  works  on  logic. 
These  books  did  not  tell  how  men  really  think 
and  act,  but  how  they  respond  to  appeals  when 
they  respond  logically. 

_  Historically  speaking,  the  only  method  recog- 
nized  as  important  in  persuading  men  and  in 
securing  normal  responses  was  what  might  be 
called  the  logical  method— the  method  of  pre- 
senting cogent  arguments  in  a  logical  way.     It 
has  been  well  to  emphasize  the  logical  nature 
of  man.    It  is  well  for  the  individual  to  attempt 
to  act  logically  and  to  conform  his  thinking  to 
the  rules  of  logic.     When,  however,  we  desire 
to  exert  the  maximum  influence  over  our  fellows 
we  cannot  be  bound  down  to  the  requirements 
of  a  logical  presentation  of  our  appeals.    Many 
men  have  suspected  a  force  other  than  that  of 
logically  presented  arguments.    In  their  failure 
to  grasp  this  other  method  they  have  been  led 
into  most  absurd  errors.     In  die  absence  of 
science,  superstition,  magic,  and  even  witchcraft 
have  prevailed;  and  the  charlatan  has  profited 
by  the  ignorance  of  the  public. 

From  the  time  of  the  ancients  down  to  com- 
paratively recent  times  it  was  more  or  less 
definitely  taught  that  profound  and  striking  re- 
suits  on  individuals  or  on  groups  could  be  pro- 


An  Analysis  of  Suggestion 


41 


duced  only  by  means  of  some  superhuman 
power.  The  stars  were  accredited  with  a  domi- 
nating influence  over  individuals.  To  this  day 
we  continue  to  use  expressions  which  have  their 
interpretation  in  such  superstitions.  We  *'thank 
our  lucky  stars";  we  rap  on  wood  when  we 
boast;  some  of  us  carry  a  rabbifs  foot  in  the 
pocket;  others  almost  believe  in  lucky  stones; 
while  many  assert  that  they  are  '^bewitched" 
when  they  do  some  particularly  stupid  thing. 
There  was  no  possibility  of  great  advance  in  the 
methods  of  influencing  men  so  long  as  it  was 
believed  that  factors  in  this  influence  were  such 
things  as  demons,  good  or  bad  spirits,  relics, 
birds'  claws,  stars,  or  any  other  supernormal 
uncontrollable  elements.  Superstition  retarded 
the  progress  of  truth.  . 

K  nugget  of  truth  is  often  encased  in,  a  mass\ 
of  error.  In  the  advance  of  any  science  a  dis-  \ 
covered  truth  may  seem  to  give  credibility  to 
many  errors.  This  is  particularly  true  in  the 
case  of  Dr.  Mesmer,  of  Vienna,  who  founded 
the  practice  named  after  him  as  mesmerism.  In 
spite  of  the  mass  of  errors  that  permeated  his 
teachings  and  the  charlatanism  that  character- 
ized his  practice,  to  Dr.  Mesmer  must  be 
credited  the  honor  of  having  inaugurated  the 


I 


i, 


i 
I 


\ 


H^ 


42      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

movement  which  resulted  in  a  scientific  study  of 
methods  of  influencing  men. 

Dr.  Mesmer  as  a  youth  was  taught  that  the 
stars  exerted  an  irresistible  influence  upon  men. 
As  a  medical  student  he  tried  to  discover  a 
method  for  concentrating  this  influence  and  of 
bringing  it  to  bear  upon  single  individuals.    He 
first  made  use  of  ''passes"  with  an  ordinary 
magnet,  but  later  discovered  that  by  means  of  a 
series  of  rhythmical  passes  over  the  body  of  a 
subject  he  could  throw  the  subject  into  a  trance 
and  cause  him  to  think  and  to  act  in  extreme 
and  weird  ways.     Instead  of  believing  that  the 
trance  was  caused  by  a  demon  or  by  a  force 
emanating  from  the  stars  or  the  moon,   Dr. 
Mesmer  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  results 
were  secured  by  what  he  called  ''animal  magnet- 
ism."   Just  as  a  physical  magnet  exerts  an  in- 
visible but  powerful  influence  over  particles  of 
iron,  so,  he  thought,  one  human  individual  may 
exert  an  influence  over  others.     Some  individu- 
als are  possessed  of  much  animal  magnetism, 
and  are  known  as  individuals  of  commanding 
influence,  of  strong  personalities,  of  dominating 
wills.  Also,  just  as  a  material  magnet  may  upon 
contact  impart  its  magnetism  to  otherwise  inert 
metals,  so  the  magnetic  individual  may  by  means 


An  Analysis  of  Suggestion 


43 


of  passes  over  the  body  of  a  weak  subject  impart 
influence  and  magnetize  him. 

In  1 84 1  a  wise  Scotch  physician  by  the  name 
of  James  Braid  witnessed  the  exhibition  of  a 
mesmerist.  This  operator  seemed  to  have  won- 
derful control  over  his  subjects.  He  caused 
them  to  sleep,  to  see  visions,  to  have  desires  and 
aversions.  Dr.  Braid  at  first  suspected  trickery, 
but  soon  became  convinced  that  the  phenomena 
were  real.  He  was  also  convinced  that  the 
theory  of  animal  magnetism  was  not  necessary 
to  explain  the  results.  Braid  and  his  followers, 
Liebeaut  and  Bernheim,  formulated  the  theory 
that  the  results  exhibited  by  the  mesmerists 
were  produced  by  the  unrecognized  working  of 
the  mind  of  the  subject  This  unrecognized 
force  of  the  subject's  own  mind  was  called  "sug- 
gestion." The  trance  Into  which  subjects  were 
thrown  by  mesmerists  was  said  by  Braid  to  be 
but  artificial  sleep  produced,  not  by  the  power 
of  the  mesmerist,  but  by  the  Ideas  In  the  mind  of 
the  subject.  This  artificial  sleep  was  by  Braid 
given  the  name  of  Hypnosis,  and  was  said  to  be 
but  an  Instance  of  the  extreme  working  of 
suggestion. 

Drs.  Braid,  the  Scotchman,  and  Liebeaut  and 
Bernheim,  who  were  Frenchmen,  may  In  a  sense 


A 


I 


44      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

be  said  to  have  discovered  Suggestion.  They 
thought  of  It  primarily  as  a  force  that  could  be 
used  for  producing  unusual,  extreme,  and  even 
abnormal  results  on  human  individuals.  It  was 
readily  seen,  however,  that  the  force  which 
could  produce  extreme  results  might  certainly 
be  an  important  factor  in  producing  the  usual 
and  normal  results.  During  recent  years  sug- 
gestion has  been  heralded  as  the  great  force  in 
education  and  religion,  in  social  and  political 
movements,  and  in  the  promotion  of  health  and 
the  amelioration  of  sickness.  It  has  been  con- 
fidently asserted  that  the  results  of  the  adver- 
tiser and  of  all  salesmen  are  dependent  upon  the 
subtle  working  of  suggestion  rather  than  upon 
the  logical  presentation  of  facts  to  the  reason  of 
the  customers. 

We  have  been  taught  by  tradition  that  man  is 
inherently  logical,  that  he  weighs  evidence, 
formulates  it  into  a  syllogism,  and  then  reaches 
the  conclusion  on  which  he  bases  his  action. 
I  The  more  modern  conception  of  man  is  that  he 
I  IS  a  creature  who  rarely  reasons  at  all.  Indeed, 
one  of  the  greatest  students  of  the  human  mind 
assures  us  that  most  persons  never  perform  an 
act  of  pure  reasoning,  but  that  all  their  acts  are 
the  results  of  imitation,  habit,  suggestion,  or 


An  Analysis  of  Suggestion 


45 


some  related  form  of  thinking  which  Is  dis- 
tinctly below  that  which  could  be  called  reason- 
ing. Our  most  important  acts  are  performed 
and  our  most  sacred  conceptions  are  reached  by 
means  of  the  merest  suggestion.  Great  com- 
manders of  men  are  not  those  who  are  best 
skilled  in  reasoning  with  their  subordinates. 
The  greatest  inspirers  of  men  are  not  those  who 
are  most  logical  in  presenting  their  truths  to  the 
multitude.  Even  our  greatest  debaters  are  not 
those  who  are  most  logical  in  presenting  the 
arguments  in  favor  of  their  contention. 

In  moving  and  in  inspiring  men,  suggestion 
is  to  be  considered  as  in  every  way  the  equal  of 
logical  reasoning,  and  as  such  is  to  be  made  the 
subject  of  consideration  for  every  man  who  is 
interested  in  influencing  his  fellows.  While 
tradition  regarded  man  as  wholly  logical,  the 
modern  conception,  as  already  intimated,  makes 
him  largely  a  creature  of  suggestion.  Never- 
theless the  whole  subject  of  suggestion  has  been 
rendered  ridiculous  and  its  true  value  obscured 
by  a  group  of  men  who  with  inadequate  psycho- 
logical learning,  have  been  presenting  sugges- 
tion as  the  open  sesame  to  success  in  the  busi- 
ness world.  These  teachers  would  lead  the  busi- 
ness man  to  assume  that  by  suggestion  an  irre- 


U  •'. 


I 


46      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

sistible  hypnotic  spell  could  be  utilized  in  busi- 
ness. In  some  instances  correspondence  courses 
in  salesmanship  pretend,  upon  the  payment  of  a 
sum  of  money,  to  teach  any  unsophisticated 
youth  how  to  wield  this  mysterious  and  super- 
human power. 

^  Because  of  the  surviving  influence  of  the  tra- 
•  ditional  view  of  man  as  essentially  logical,  and 
because  of  the  recent  silly  exaggeration  of  the' 
value  of  suggestion,  the  business  man  is  inclined 
to  look  upon  suggestion  with  little  favor. 

The  following  analysis  is  an  attempt  to  pre- 
sent suggestion  without  exaggeration  and  to 
analyze  it  in  such  a  way  that  the  business  man 
can  see  its  possibilities  in  connection  with  his 
special  task  of  influencing  men. 

I.  The  Working  of  Suggestion  is  Depend- 
ent  upon  the  Impulsive,  Dynamic 
Nature  of  Ideas 

In  trying  to  imagine  how  our  minds  work  in 
making  decisions  or  reaching  conclusions,  we 
are  inclined  to  accept  the  traditional  view  and  to 
think  of  ourselves  as  acting  according  to  the 
rules  of  formal  logic.  We  thus  assume  that  we 
think  out  the  reasons  pro  and  con,  that  we  ar- 
range these  reasons  in  a  logical  order,  that  we 


An  Analysis  of  Suggestion 


47 


weigh  the  evidence  and  make  our  decision.  We 
assume  that  after  the  conclusion  has  been 
reached  or  the  action  decided  upon,  we  then,  by 
a  distinct  effort  of  the  will,  initiate  the  action. 
We  conceive  of  ideas  as  being  nothing  more 
than  formal,  inert  reasons  and  we  assume  that 
to  secure  action  we  must  add  to  our  ideas  the 
activity  of  the  will. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  this  conception  of  ideas  is 
wrong  and  leads  to  error  when  we  try  either  to 
interpret  or  to  influence  human  action.  The 
modern  scientific  conception  of  psychology  is 
that  ideas  are  the  most  live  things  in  the  uni- 
verse. They  are  dynamic  and  naturally  lead  to 
action.  This  dynamic,  impulsive  nature  of  ideas 
is  expressed  in  the  following  law : 

Every  idea  of  an  action  will  result  in  that 
action  unless  hindered  by  an  impeding  idea  or 
physical  impediment. 

Or  as  expressed  by  Hollingworth,  "Every 
idea  of  a  situation  tends  to  produce  movements 
calculated  to  handle  that  situation.'* 

It  seems  quite  impossible  for  us  to  think  in- 
tently upon  any  movement  without  in  some 
degree  making  the  movement.  In  some  in- 
stances we  can  detect  ourselves  making  the 
beginning  of  the  movements,  but  in  others  we 


\ 


% 


S'^ 


i  ir: 


48      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

can  not.  If  I  think  of  the  letter  *'o"  I  find  that 
in  the  muscles  of  my  lips  there  is  a  tension 
which  becomes  merely  stronger  for  the  actual 
pronunciation  of  the  letter.  If  I  think  intently 
upon  the  letter  '*k"  I  find  that  my  tongue  tends 
to  draw  back  into  the  position  necessary  for  pro- 
nouncing the  letter.  Even  where  these  move- 
ments are  so  slight  that  they  are  not  observed 
by  the  person  himself,  they  may  often  be  re- 
corded by  a  planchette,  ouija-board,  or  other 
similar  device. 

The  tendency  for  an  Idea  of  an  act  to  lead  to 
the  act  is  also  shown  in  glandular  and  involun- 
tary muscle-actions.  Thus  if  I  get  an  idea  that 
I  am  going  to  blush,  the  idea  sends  the  blood 
rushing  to  my  face.  If  I  think  intently  of  biting 
into  a  ripe,  juicy  peach,  the  salivary  glands  re- 
spond at  once,  even  though  no  food  has  been 
taken  into  my  mouth.  The  influence  of  ideas 
in  the  digestion  and  assimilation  of  food  has 
recently  been  fully  proven.  The  idea  that  one 
is  to  be  sick  is  a  factor  in  producing  sickness. 
The  idea  that  one  is  progressing  well  and  will 
recover  is  a  factor  in  bringing  about  the 
recovery. 

The  wise  parent  and  teacher  make  constant 
use  of  the  dynamic  nature  of  ideas.     The  one 


h 


An  Analysis  of  Suggestion        49 

who  fails  to  regard  this  fact  gets  into  trouble. 
The  solicitous  parent  who  upon  leaving  her  chil- 
dren  said,  *'Now,  children,  whatever  you  do 
don't  put  beans  in  your  noses,"  should  not  have 
been  surprised  upon  her  return  to  find  that  the 
children's  noses  were  filled  with  beans.  The 
idea,  *'beans  in  the  nose,"  simply  took  posses- 
sion of  their  minds  and  the  dynamic  force  of  the 
idea  led  to  the  activity.  In  controlling  children 
parents  and  teachers  learn  not  to  suggest  the 
things  which  are  to  be  avoided.  The  impulsive 
nature  of  the  suggested  ideas  is  too  much  for 
the  children  to  resist. 

The  dynamic  nature  of  mind  is  further  shown 
by  the  fact  which  is  expressed  in  the  following 
general  law : 

Every  idea,  concept  or  conclusion  which 
enters  the  mind  is  held  as  true  unless  hindered 
by  some  contradictory  idea. 

The  inhabitant  of  southern  Europe  believes 
that  the  Pope  is  infallible  and  that  Mohammed 
is  the  great  enemy  of  mankind.  The  inhabitant 
of  southwestern  Asia  believes  that  Mohammed 
is.  the  great  prophet  and  that  the  Pope  is  an 
impostor.  The  inhabitant  of  Germany  believes 
in  the  divine  right  of  the  ruler.  The  American 
believes  that  the  democratic  form  of  govern-  / 


I 


\ 


50      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

ment  Is  the  divinely  chosen  plan  for  national 
government.  Millions  of  men  hold  these  be- 
liefs and  would  be  willing  to  die  for  them.  In 
I  most  instances  this  faith  is  not  the  result  of  rea- 
son or  any  form  of  critical  thinking,  but  Is  the 
result  of  suggestion.  The  ideas  were  merely 
presented  and  led  to  their  normal  result,  which 
Is  belief. 

Thus  the  American  public  have  come  to  be- 
lieve that  manual  labor  is  degrading;  that 
wealth  Is  the  only  standard  measure  of  achieve- 
ment; that  It  Is  unwomanly  for  women  to  con- 
sume stimulants  or  narcotics ;  that  Ivory  Soap  Is 
{  99  44/100  per  cent  pure;  that  White  Rock  Is 
the  world's  best  table  water;  that  **there  Is  a 
reason"  for  Postum;  that  the  Gillette  adds  to 
the  sum  total  of  human  happiness.  The  belief 
In  these  statements  has  become  established  In  the 
minds  of  millions,  but  in  most  of  the  instances 
the  belief  Is  the  result  of  suggestion  rather  than 
of  any  higher  form  of  thought.  The  Ideas  have 
merely  been  frequently  presented  and  their 
dynamic  Impulsive  nature  culminated  In  belief. 

The  general  and  universal  tendency  is  to  ac- 
cept as  valid  all  Ideas,  and  this  result  follows  in 
every  instance  unless  with  the  Idea  there  arises 
an  idea  of  its  falsity. 


/ 


An  Analysis  of  Suggestion         51 

The  significance  of  this  fact  of  the  dynamic 
nature  of  thought  and  Its  application  to  busi- 
ness must  be  apparent  to  all.  If  we  can  give  a 
man  any  sort  of  an  Idea  It  Is  not  necessary  to 
convince  him  of  the  truth  of  the  Idea  If  we 
can  keep  conflicting  Ideas  from  arising  In  his 
mind.  If  I  can  get  you  to  read  the  sentence, 
''Morgan  and  Wright  tires  are  good  tires,"  you 
will  believe  that  they  are  good  tires  and  that  too 
without  any  further  proof,  if  only  contradictory 
ideas  do  not  surge  up  into  your  mind. 

When  a  man  Is  hypnotized  and  told  that  the 
world  Is  to  come  to  an  end  in  thirty  minutes,  he 
believes  it  fully  because  contradictory  ideas  do 
not    arise   to    inhibit   the    suggested    idea    of 

calamity. 

A  crowd  composed  of  Intelligent  citizens  will 
accept  as  truth  the  most  absurd  utterances  and 
applaud  proposed  plans  which  individually  each 
man  might  scorn  in  derision.  As  Individuals  we 
inhibit  more  actions  than  we  perform.  A  feel- 
ing of  responsibility  and  propriety  restrains  us 
individually  in  a  way  that  is  absent  when  we  be- 
come absorbed  in  a  crowd.  Whatever  is  done 
by  other  members  of  the  crowd  secure  proper; 
also,  because  of  the  many  involved,  the  feeling 
of  responsibility  is  removed  from  each  member. 


,) 


■: 


im\\  . 


1 ' 
I 


52      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

.  The  crowd,  being  relieved  from  the  restraints 
^  of  propriety,  of  responsibility,  and  of  critical 
4  thinking,  is'in  a  condition  to  exhibit  the  dynamic 
force  of  ideas  In  an  extreme  form.  There  is  an 
alacrity  of  response,  an  immediate  carrying  out 
of  every  suggested  action,  which  is  not  apparent 
in  the  action  of  single  individuals.  The  indi- 
vidual Is  wholly  absorbed  In  the  crowd  purpose 
and  Is  completely  devoted  to  that  purpose, 
whether  It  be  the  lynching  of  a  negro,  the  adora- 
tion of  a  hero,  the  winning  of  the  game,  or  the 
capture  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  In  times  of 
panics  the  Idea^ets  abroad  that  property  Is  de- 
preciating In  valiie.  This  Idea  is  accepted  by 
most  persons  without  proof  simply  because  the 
attendant  conditions  keep  contradictory  Ideas 
from  arising  In  the  mind.  Hypnosis  and  the 
crowd  remove  the  Inhibitions  and  permit  the 
dynamic  nature  of  Ideas  to  manifest  Itself. 
7  The  first  characteristic  of  an  aA  of  sugges- 
tion, then.  Is  that  the  Ideas  carry  themselves  out 
Into  action  and  Into  belief  by  means  of  an  in- 
herent tendency.  This  tendency  we  speak  of  as 
the  "dynamic  Impulsive  nature  of  Ideas.''  No 
act  should  be  attributed  to  suggestion  unless  It 
Illustrates  this  impulsive  nature  of  ideas  in  a 
more  or  less  striking  manner. 


An  Analysis  of  Suggestion 


53 


'r 


II.  Suggestions  are  Given  by  External 
Objects  (Usually  Persons)  and 
Result  in  Acts  Similar  to  Imitative 
Acts 

Unfortunately  the  word  imitation  is  applied 
to  two  distinct  classes  of  acts.    If  I  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  a  particular  author  is  using  an 
excellent  style,  I  may  consciously  and  volun- 
tarily attempt  to  imitate  his  style.    This  sort  of 
imitation    is    known    as    voluntary    imitation. 
There  is  another  sort  of  imitation  known  as 
non-voluntary  imitation.    This  is  well  illustrated 
by  the  tendency  to  imitate  a  yawn  or  cough.    If 
one  member  of  a  group  coughs,   others  are 
likely  to  imitate  the  act  although  there  is  no  con- 
scious desire  to  do  so.    If  I  associate  with  per- 
sons having  a  peculiar  intonation  of  voice  I  am 
likely  to  imitate  their  peculiarities  even  though 
such  is  not  my  desire.    These  are  the  sort  of 
imitative  acts  under  consideration  in  this  dis- 
cussion.    They  are  the  sort  of  imitative  acts 
which  we  do  without  realizing  them  and  which 
we  certainly  never  voluntarily  perform;  hence, 
they  are  known  as  non-voluntary  imitative  acts. 
Throughout  the  history  of  the  development 
of  the  human  race,  people  have  lived  in  groups. 
Every  group  has  had  its  common  enemy  and  its 


i\ 


54      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

common  friends.  Unity  of  action  and  unity  of 
thought  have  been  essential.  Consequently  we 
have  developed  tendencies  to  produce  such  uni- 
formities. The  sight  of  one  person  performing 
any  act  begets  in  others  a  tendency  to  perform 
the  same  act.  If  one  person  has  a  belief  which 
he  expresses  in  any  way,  others  are  inclined  to 
have  the  same  belief.  We  are  by  nature  great 
imitators,  and  our  credulity  is  greater  than  we 
are  willing  to  believe. 

Hypnosis,  mob-action,  and  panics  are  but 
illustrations  of  extreme  cases  of  the  universal 
tendency  to  imitate  the  acts  of  others  and  to  be- 
lieve what  we  assume  they  believe.  In  hypnosis 
the  subject  becomes  drowsy  because  of  his  be- 
lief that  the  hypnotist  confidently  expects  it  of 
him.  He  is  unable  to  move  his  hand  because  of 
his  belief  that  the  hypnotist  knows  that  he  can 
not.  He  sees  a  vision  because  of  his  belief  that 
the  hypnotist  expects  him  to  see  the  vision.  It 
makes  no  difference  what  the  hypnotist  actually 
thinks,  but  only  what  the  subject  assumes  that 
he  thinks.  The  ideas  of  the  subject  are  sug- 
gested because  they  result  from  the  words  and 
acts  of  the  hypnotist. 

In  mob-action,  in  panics,  and  in  all  forms  of 
social  stampedes,  the  force  of  suggestion  be- 


^. 


3 


i 


An  Analysis  of  Suggestion 


55 


comes  irresistible.  We  all  imitate  the  actions 
that  we  see  in  others,  and  we  believe  what  the 
others  believe.  In  mob-action  of  any  form  the 
individual  receives  the  same  suggestion  from 
each  individual  composing  the  mob.  The  sug- 
gestion comes  from  the  words  spoken,  the  ges- 
tures made,  the  emotions  expressed.  The  native 
imltativeness  and  credulity  of  the  normal  in- 
dividual is  so  great  that  such  a  wave  of  sugges- 
tion is  Irresistible. 

The  efficiency  of  advertising  is  doubtless  In 
part  due  to  the  action  of  suggestion  and  is  much 
like  the  working  of  suggestion  In  mobs.  As  I 
read  an  advertisement  of  Ivory  Soap  In  a  me- 
dium of  wide  circulation  I  feel  that  it  Is  being 
read  and  believed  in  by  multitudes  of  people.  I 
feel  sure  that  It  Is  being  purchased  by  thousands 
of  my  fellow  mortals.  The  suggestion  that  the 
soap  is  99  44/100  per  cent  pure  does  not  seem 
to  come  primarily  from  the  concern  which 
makes  the  statement,  but  from  the  thousands  of 
customers  who  now  believe  It.  The  tendency  to 
act  as  they  are  supposed  to  act  Is  also  no  small 
factor  in  causing  mc  to  imitate  their  assumed 
actions. 

All  acts  resulting  from  suggestion  are  similar 
to  these  non-voluntary  imitative  acts.     Indeed 


:| 


11. 


.<> 


I 


56      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

all  non-voluntary  imitation  is  the  working  of 
suggestion.  Thus  in  a  store  I  see  a  customer 
making  a  particular  purchase  and  I  receive  the 
suggestion  from  this  act  and  imitate  it.  I  see  a 
fellow  workman  increase  his  pace  and  although 
I  have  not  intended  to  change  my  speed  the 
chances  are  that  the  suggestion  will  lead  to  a 
non-voluntary  imitation.  If  I  see  others  joyous 
or  sad  they  give  me  the  suggestion  of  joy  or 
sorrow  and  I  non-voluntarily  imitate  their 
moods. 

If  all  our  suggestions,  in  so  far  as  they  result 
in  actions,  were  received  from  persons  we  would 
discard  the  word  suggestion  as  a  useless  term 
and  employ  only  the  term  non- voluntary  imita- 
tion. As  a  matter  of  fact  we  receive  many  sug- 
gestions from  things  as  well  as  persons.  As  ex- 
amples of  suggestions  received  from  things 
there  might  be  mentioned  such  devices  as  money- 
envelopes,  return  coupons,  dotted  lines  for 
signatures,  etc. 

In  carrying  out  all  suggestions  we  feel  much 
as  we  do  when  we  imitate.  We  feel  that  we 
have  not  been  forced,  that  we  are  doing  just 
what  we  wish  to  do,  that  it  is  the  only  natural 
and  rational  thing  to  do  under  the  circum- 
stances.   We  deceive  ourselves  into  thinking  we 


! 


i 


J- 


An  Analysis  of  Suggestion         57 

arc  doing  voluntarily  that  which  we  are  doing 
from  a  mere  suggestion. 

III.  Suggestion  Includes  No  Comparison 
OR  Criticism 

Every  idea  is  dynamic  and  must  lead  to  action 
or  belief,  or  else  it  must  call  up  another  idea. 
For  instance,  if  I  should  state  that  the  square 
of  twenty-six  is  six  hundred  and  seventy-sbc,  that 
idea  would  be  believed  by  you  or  else  would 
awaken  in  your  mind  the  idea  that  I  was  merely 
jesting  or  that  I  had  made  a  mistake.  If  I 
should  state  that  you  would  now  scratch  the  end 
of  your  nose  to  remove  the  unpleasant  feeling 
caused  by  the  fly  sitting  there,  you  would  feel  a 
strong  tendency  to  scratch  your  nose,  or  else  the 
idea  would  cause  you  to  think  how  foolish  it 
would  be  to  perform  the  act.  In  an  act  that  can 
properly  be  called  suggestion  the  idea  never 
calls  up  other  ideas,  such  as  '*he  is  jesting"  or 
*'how  foolish" — hvtt  the  idea  is  accepted  uncriti- 
cally  and  without  any  deliberatioiL 

When  in  conversation  with  certain  indi- 
viduals, we  discover  that  for  them  our  words 
are  powerful  suggestions.  If  we  say  that  the 
day  is  fine,  they  respond  that  the  atmosphere  is 
unusually  bracing.     If  we  state  that  they  are 


^  'ill! 


■*    —         ■     -"^^ 


I  \ 


Li  I 


■,  J'' 


58      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

looking  pale  and  weak,  they  -are  likely  to  feel 
sick  at  once  and  possibly  send  for  a  physician. 
If  we  propose  a  game  of  golf,  that  particular 
form  of  activity  appeals  to  them  as  the  only 
possible  pleasing  form  of  recreation.  Such  in- 
dividuals would  be  classed  as  extremely  sugges- 
tible. There  are  others  for  whom  our  words 
are  not  taken  as  suggestions,  but  who  are  stimu- 
lated to  criticize,  no  matter  what  we  say.  If  wc 
remark  that  the  weather  is  fine,  they  imme- 
diately reply  that  it  is  liable  to  rain  before  night. 
If  we  tell  them  they  are  looking  sick,  they  reply 
that  they  never  felt  better  in  all  their  lives.  If 
we  propose  golf,  they  advance  six  reasons  why 
it  would  be  absurd  for  any  sensible  individual  to 
waste  his  time  at  that  silly  game.  Such  indi- 
viduals, because  of  their  complete  lack  of  sug- 
gestibility, are  unsuited  to  any  form  of  co- 
operative endeavor  and  are  out  of  place  in 
modern  industry. 

Since  suggestion  is  free  from  criticism, 
neither  the  opposite  nor  any  possible  alternative 
to  the  thing  proposed  enters  the  mind.  All 
normal  persons  are  suggestible  under  certain 
conditions  and  take  the  suggestions  given  if 
these  are  of  the  right  sort  and  presented 
properly. 


An  Analysis  of  Suggestion 


59 


IV.  Suggestion  Secures  Direct  Response 
Without  Any  Delay 

In  deliberation  we  must  delay  in  order  that 
sufficient  time  may  intervene  for  possible  al- 
ternatives to  arise  in  our  minds  for  us  to  classify 
them,  to  compare  them,  and  to  make  a  choice 
between  them.  Deliberation  thus  places  the  sub- 
ject in  a  more  or  less  critical  attitude,  and  unless 
the  argument  is  conclusive,  this  attitude  is  likely 
to  be  retained  and  the  proposed  action  perma- 
nently resisted.  Delay  is  essential  for  weigh- 
ing arguments,  but  every  moment  of  delay  in- 
creases the  probability  that  no  action  will  result. 
The  inherent  weakness  of  deliberation  is  ex- 
pressed in  the   familiar  quotation,   "He  who 

hesitates  is  lost** 

In  suggestion  the  proposed  idea  of  an  act  is 
allowed  to  take  its  normal  course,  which,  ac- 
cording to  the  impulsive  nature  of  ideas,  results 
in  immediate  action.  The  proposed  act  may  be 
of  such  a  nature  that  it  can  not  be  completed 
till  some  future  time.  Even  in  such  instances 
the  act  is  really  begun  at  once  even  though  it  can 
not  be  completed  till  later.  For  example,  if  it  is 
suggested  to  me  that  I  secure  a  ticket  when 
down  town  tomorrow,  and  if  without  any  con- 
sideration I  consent  to  do  so,  my  consent  is  due 


) 


I 


ih  i 


r 


60     'Influencing  Men  in  Business 

to  suggestion  and  the  tickets  probably  will  be 
purchased  tomorrow.  The  consent  follows  the 
suggestion  immediately  and  the  tickets  will  be 
purchased  at  the  appropriate  time  and  that  too 
without  any  deliberation  at  the  later  time  of 
purchase.  Of  course  something  might  happen 
in  the  meantime  which  would  cause  me  to  con- 
sider the  advisability  of  the  purchase  and  in 
such  a  case  it  would  cease  to  be  an  act  of  sug- 
gestion. 

Illustration  of  Principles 

The  four  principles  revealed  by  the  analysis 
of  suggestion  are  best  understood  when  applied 
to  an  extreme  case,  i.e.,  to  the  condition  known 
as  hypnosis.  Common  charcoal  and  cut  dia- 
monds are  each  equally  good  examples  of  car- 
bon. In  the  same  way  the  working  of  sugges- 
tion may  be  illustrated  by  profound  hypnosis  or 
by  the  effect  of  such  common  advertising  as 
"Use  Pears'  Soap." 

In  presenting  the  subject  of  suggestion  to  my 
classes  in  psychology  I  am  accustomed  to  dem- 
onstrate its  most  extreme  manifestations. 
Three  of  the  most  hi^ly  esteemed  men  stu- 
dents in  the  class  are  selected  and  seated  in 
comfortable  chairs  in  front  of  the  class.    Turn- 


An  Analysis  of  Suggestion 


61 


ing  my  attention  to  these  three  I  get  them  to 
concentrate  their  minds  upon  the  hypnotic  con- 
dition as  I  depict  it.  After  a  few  minutes  I 
assert  with  a  voice  of  assurance  that  their  eyes 
are  getting  heavy,  are  heavy;  are  closing,  are 
closed!  If  my  remarks  have  been  effectively 
given  the  young  men  find  that  their  eyes  do  just 
as  I  suggest.  After  securing  the  successful 
working  of  this  suggestion  upon  their  eyes,  I 
follow  rapidly  with  other  suggestions  of  increas- 
ing difficulty.  I  assert  that  their  right  arms  are 
stiff  and  can  not  be  moved.  They  often  attempt 
to  show  that  their  arms  can  be  moved  but 
usually  their  attempts  are  unsuccessful.  I  assert 
that  their  left  arms  are  light,  are  rising  up  and 
moving  in  a  circle.  This  suggestion  is  usually 
successful.  I  suggest  that  the  bottle  which  I 
hold  to  their  noses  contains  a  delightful  per- 
fume. Thereupon  they  enjoy  the  odor  im- 
mensely even  though  the  bottle  contains  asa- 
fetida. 

It  is  evident  that  the  four  principles  found  in 
the  analysis  of  ordinary  suggestion  characterize 
this  extreme  form  of  suggestion  also. 

I.  The  dynamic  nature  of  thought  was  shown 
in  that  the  idea  conceived  by  the  young  men 
carried  itself  out  even  though  it  involved  appar- 


!*>■: 


1 


f    ■■ 


62 


Influencing  Men  in  Business 


ent  absurdity.    The  Me^i    «'r«,r 

^r-     xneiaea,    my  eyes  are  closed '' 

ex  ernal  objects  or  persons  was  illustrated  by 
my  givrng  all  the  suggestions  to  them. 

watcao^'lf^  M,""  °^  ^°"^P^ri«on  and  criticism 

enjoyed  the  odor  because  I  told  them  thev 
would,  even  though  the  odor  of  asafeTida  il 
excessively  nauseous.  , 

4.  That  suggestion  secures  direct  resDonsP 

with  which  all  suggested  ideas  were  held  as  true 
everyltaif "'''  "''"  ^^'^  ^^^'^'^^^  - 

-^^^^^^^^P-^ .  He  should  realized h^ 
ever    that  hypnosis  is  simply  an  extreme  ex- 

ex'rel     '"1?"'"".     ^"  ^^^^^^'^  ^^  «^«  the 
extreme  working  of  a  method  of  influencing 

forms.     The  value  of  the  four  principles  re- 

fact  tha  they  hold  universally  and  hence  are 
applicable  to  every  instance  in  which  suggestion 
IS  used  as  a  means  of  influencing  men     Later 


An  Analysis  of  Suggestion         63 

chapters*  will  deal  with  the  very  practical  prob- 
lems of  ( I )  when  the  business  man  should  use 
suggestion,  and  (2)  how  suggestions  may  be 
made  effective. 


^Chapters  VI  and  VUL 


t 


\i 


111 


I 


CHAPTER  IV 

WHAT  IS  YOUR  METHOD  OF  DECII> 
ING  QUESTIONS  AND  REACHING 

CONCLUSIONS? 


OUTLINE 


Do  People  Deliberate  or  Do  They  Act  Upon  Sug- 
gestion in  Reaching  a  Conclusion? 
Methods  of  Reaching  a  Decision: 
I.     Logical  Reasoning :  Benjamin  Franklin's  Method 
Reason— Authority:  Bismarck's  Method 
Reason— Emotion:  Woman's  Method 
Reason— Suggestion:  Flipped-Coin  Method 
Suggestion:  Weather  Vane 
_Which  of  These  Methods  are  Used  Frequently  and 
Which  but  Occasionally? 


<IL 

in. 

IV. 
V. 


^■' 


CHAPTER  IV 

WHAT  IS  YOUR  METHOD  OF  DECID- 
ING  QUESTIONS  AND  REACHING 

CONCLUSIONS? 

Do  People  Deliberate  or  Do  They  Act 
UPON  Suggestion  in  Reaching  a  Conclu- 
sion? 

In  dealing  with  men  we  try  to  get  them  to 
accept  certain  conclusions,  to  select  certain  ends, 
or  to  act  In  particular  ways.  These  results  may 
be  secured  either  by  deliberation  or  by  sugges 
tlon.  The  recognition  of  this  fact  Immediately 
leads  us  to  ask  the  following  question,  If  conclu- 
sions may  be  reached,  ends  chosen,  and  acts 
performed,  as  the  result  either  of  deliberation 
or  of  suggestion,  then  as  a  matter  of  fact  how 
do  people  decide — do  they  deliberate  or  do  they 
act  upon  suggestion  ? 

In  the  previous  chapters  we  discussed  typical 
acts  of  deliberation  and  typical  acts  of  sugges- 
tion. As  a  matter  of  fact  are  these  typical  forms 
the  usual  forms  of  deciding?  Are  there  some 
persons  who  habitually  use  the  first  of  these 
methods  and  some  the  second?     Or  is  it  true 

67 


til 
If 


m 


I 


I 

i 


i 


I 


68       Influencing  Men  in  Business 

that  certain  types  of  decisions  are  made  by  de- 
liberation and  others  by  suggestion?  The 
answers  to  these  questions  lead  to  a  study  of  the 
different  methods  which  are  actually  employed 
in  solving  problems  which  arise  from  moment  to 
moment  and  from  year  to  year. 

Methods  of  Reaching  a  Decision  : 

I.  Logical  Reasoning:  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin's Method 

There  is  a  method  of  deciding  which  corre- 
sponds perfectly  to  what  was  presented  in  the 
last  chapter  as  a  typical  act  of  deliberation.  We 
shall  speak  of  it  here  as  the  Benjamin  Franklin 
type.  If  you  belong  to  this  type  and  have  a 
problem  to  solve  (e.g.,  change  in  method  of 
work,  change  of  position,  goods  to  be  pur- 
chased, etc.) ,  you  solve  it  ( i )  by  getting  a  clear 
idea  of  the  alternatives;  (2)  by  getting  in  mind 
complete  data  concerning  the  means  necessary 
for  securing  the  alternative;  (3)  by  awakening 
the  appropriate  "feeling  value"  with  each 
alternative;  (4)  by  comparing  the  different 
alternatives,  and  by  reducing  the  argument  to 
the  syllogistic  form  to  weigh  the  evidence ;  and 
(5)  hy  logically  and  coldly  accepting  that  al- 


Reaching  Conclusions 


69 


ternative  which  the  comparison  shows  to  be  the 
most  worthy. 

In  applying  this  method  we  are  often  unable 
to  reach  a  conclusion  because  of  our  inability  to 
reduce  the  argument  to  syllogistic  form,  and 
hence  to  make  exact  comparisons  and  decide 
which  course  of  action  is  to  be  preferred.  Ben- 
jamin Franklin  used  this  method  extensively  and 
he  has  left  us  a  description  of  the  device  he 
employed  to  reach  the  conclusion.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  quotation  from  a  letter  to  a  friend  con- 
cerning a  difficult  problem : 

"In  the  affair  of  so  much  importance  to  you, 
wherein  you  ask  my  advice,  I  can  not,  for  want 
of  sufficient  premises,  counsel  you  what  to  de- 
termine; but,  if  you  please,  I  will  tell  you  how. 
When  those  difficult  cases  occur,  they  are  diffi- 
cult chiefly  because,  while  we  have  them  under 
consideration,  all  the  reasons  pro  and  con  are 
not  present  to  the  mind  at  the  same  time;  but 
sometimes  one  set  present  themselves,  and  at 
other  times  another,  the  first  being  out  of  sight. 
Hence  the  various  purposes  or  inclinations  that 
alternately  prevail,  and  the  uncertainty  that  per- 
plexes us. 

'To  get  over  this,  my  way  is  to  divide  half  a 
sheet  of  paper  by  a  line  Into  two  columns;  writ- 


;f 


M 


T 


70      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

ing  over  the  one  pro  and  over  the  other  con; 
then,  during  three  or  four  days'  consideration,  I 
put  down,  under  the  different  heads,  short  hints 
of  the  different  motives  that  at  different  times 
occur  to  me  for  or  against  the  measure.    When 
I  have  thus  got  them  all  together  in  one  view,  I 
endeavor  to  estimate  their  respective  weights; 
and  when  I  find  tivo   (one  on  each  side)   that 
seem  equal,  I  strike  them  both  out.    If  I  find  a 
reason  pro  equal  to  tivo  reasons  con,  I  strike 
out  the  three.    If  I  judge  some  two  reasons  con 
equal  to  three  reasons  pro,  I  strike  out  the  jive; 
and  thus  proceeding,  1  find  where  the  balance 
lies;  and  if,  after  a  day  or  two  of  further  con- 
sideration, nothing  new  that  is  of  importance 
occurs  on  either  side  I  come  to  a  determination 
accordingly.    And  though  the  weight  of  reason 
can  not  be  taken  with  the  precision  of  algebraic 
quantities,  yet  when  each  is  thus  considered  sepa- 
rately and  comparatively,  and  the  whole  lies 
before  me,  I  think  I  can  judge  better  and  am 
less  liable  to  take  a  false  step.     And  in  fact  I 
have  found  great  advantage  from  this  kind  of 
equation.  In  what  may  be  termed  moral  or  pru- 
dential algebra." 

This  reasoning  is  in  the  form  of  an  implied 
syllogism,  i.e.,  I  must  accept  this  because  my 


W 


Reaching  Conclusions  71 

moral  algebra  shows  It  to  be  the  more  valuable. 
The  expanded  syllogistic  form  is  as  follows: 

I  shall  accept  that  alternative  that  my  moral 
algebra  shows  to  have  the  greatest  value. 

My  moral  algebra  indicates  that  A  has  the 
greater  value. 

Therefore  I  accept  A. 

This  method  of  Benjamin  Franklin's  is  ap- 
plicable to  hesitation  caused  by  considering  the 
consequences  of  acting  or  of  not  acting,  as  well 
as  to  hesitation  caused  by  weighing  the  respec- 
tive advantages  of  several  mutually  exclusive 
actions.    Although  very  few  persons  have  ever 
employed  the  method  In  Its   entirety,   as  did 
Franklin,  yet  we  all  approximate  the  method  in 
our  deliberate  actions.  Most  of  us  never  clearly 
define  the  different  reasons  for  or  against  any 
action  and  we  do  not  hold  the  different  reasons 
before  us  and  compare  them  In  a  judicious  man- 
ner.    Ordinarily  one  reason  for  or  against  an 
action  holds  the  attention  and  all  other  reasons 
are  crowded  out  and  serve  to  delay  action  but 
not  to  divert  it.    We  are  wise  and  judicious  in 
proportion  to  our  ability  to  compare  motives 
and  decide  according  to  reason,  but  most  of  us 
are  neither  wise  nor  judicious. 


iil  t 

•11    ~ 


i|i 


I' 


( 


I  Si 


72       Influencing  Men  in  Business 

Doubtless   you   do   not  use   this   Benjamin 
Franklin  method  in  the  exact  and  formal  man- 
ner described  by  him.     When  you  do  use  the 
method,  you  attempt  to  abbreviate  it  by  refer- 
ring the  case  to  a  general  class  and  to  one  of  the 
classes  to  which  you  have  formed  the  habit  of 
responding  unhesitatingly.    If  you  are  consider- 
ing the  proposition  of  changing  your  method  or 
speed  of  work,  and  if  you  classify  the  act  as  one 
of  "increased  pay,"  you  will  decide  in  the  af- 
firmative; in  the  negative,  if  you  classify  it  as 
merely  "an  attempt  of  the  boss  to  speed  up  his 
employees."    If  you  are  considering  the  offer  to 
enter  the  employ  of  a  larger  firm  you  will  accept 
it  if  you  finally  classify  the  proposed  change  as 
"greater  possibilities";  you  will  reject  it  if  you 
classify  it  as   "loss   of  independence."     The 
salesman  will  sell  you  the  goods  if  he  can  get 
you  to  classify  them  as  "good  investments" ;  he 
will  fail  if  you  classify  them  as  "speculations." 
In    deciding    according    to    this    Benjamin 
Franklin  method,  whether  the  process  is  carried 
on  slowly  and  formally  as  advised  by  Franklin 
or  whether  it  is  shortened  by  referring  it  to  a 
class  with  its  stereotyped  form  of  response, 
there  is  in  either  case  ( i )  a  deliberation  involv- 
ing  comparison,  and  (2)  a  decision  free  from 


Reaching  Conclusions  y^ 

effort  as  soon  as  the  evidence  is  all  in  and  the 
case  definitely  classified. 


Methods  of  Reaching  a  Decision: 

II.    Reason  —  Authority  :    Bismarck's 
Method 

There  is  a  second  method  of  deciding  which 
is  much  like  logical  reasoning  but  differs  from 
It  in  one  very  essential  feature.  In  this  second 
method  after  the  evidence  is  all  in  there  seems 
to  be  no  balance  in  favor  of  either  alternative, 
so  the  question  is  decided  after  the  deliberation 
has  been  exhausted.  The  decision  is  finally 
made  by  an  effort  of  will. 

The  struggle  may  be  severe,  but  in  any  case 
the  deliberation  is  brought  to  a  close  and  the 
question  settled  by  a  determined  "I  will !"  The 
reason  alone  seems  inadequate  to  meet  the  case 
so  the  authority  of  the  Individual  is  needed  to 
supplant  the  reason.  This  type  is  therefore 
properly  called  the  reason-authority  type  of  de- 
cision, or  the  Bismarck  type,  if  named  after  the 
one  who  is  reputed  to  have  surpassed  others  in 
deciding  in  this  way. 

In  deciding  according  to  the  Franklin  method 
the  vanquished  alternative  drops  out  of  mind 


n 


I 


H 


^i' 


f 


f 


74      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

and  IS  not  attended  to  at  the  crucial  moment  of 
decision.  In  the  Bismarck  method  both  alterna- 
tives are  kept  in  mind  and  by  an  act  of  will  the 
one  is  vanquished  and  the  other  selected.  In 
making  the  choice  the  subject  is  aware  of  what 
he  is  losing  and  so  must  struggle  to  give  it  up. 

If  you  decide  problems  according  to  the  Bis- 
marck method  then  at  the  moment  of  decision 
you  will  have  in  mind  both  the  profits  to  be 
gained  by  a  change  of  method  of  work  and  also 
the  sacrifice  of  ease  necessary  to  make  the 
change.  The  evidence  is  not  clear  as  to  what  is 
the  right  course  to  pursue  and  only  by  a  de- 
termined ''I  will!"  can  you  settle  it.  If  you 
settle  the  same  question  by  the  Franklin  method, 
then  at  the  moment  of  decision  one  alternative 
has  already  been  eliminated  and  the  victorious 
one  holds  your  undivided  attention.  In  the  Bis- 
marck decision  one  alternative  never  succeeds  in 
securing  exclusive  attention. 

If  the  salesman  has  been  unable  to  banish 
competing  lines  from  your  mind  so  that  with 
other  goods  as  well  as  his  in  mind  you  are  com- 
pelled to  make  the  effort  to  decide  which  you 
will  choose,  you  decide  according  to  the  method 
of  Bismarck.  If  he  has  succeeded  in  banishing 
all  competing  lines  from  your  mind  and  has 


\ 


Reaching  Conclusions  75 

enabled   you    to   make   your   decision   without 
effort,  then  he  has  enabled  you  to  decide  accord- 
ing  to  the  method  of  Franklin.    As  a  matter  of 
fact  most  persons  rarely  use  the  Bismarck  type 
of  deciding.     We  usually  think  of  the  person 
with  a  strong  will  as  making  frequent  use  of  the 
Bismarck  method.     However,  the  man  who  is 
able  to  utilize  the  Franklin  method  is  to  be 
credited  with  an  equally  strong  will.    The  man 
deciding  according  to  Franklin's  method  shows 
his  strength  of  will  by  his  mastery  in  weighing 
evidence  and  classifying  the  cases  that  arise  for 
solution.     The  man  deciding  according  to  the 
Bismarck  method  shows  his  strength  of  will  by 
deciding  without  delay.     Franklin's  method  is 
in  general  the  more  desirable  form  of  strength 
of  will  but  in  a  crisis  Bismarck's  type  of  strength 
of  will  IS  necessary  for  heroic  action. 

Methods  of  Reaching  a  Decision: 

III.  Re^^son— Emotion  :  Woman's  Method 

The  woman's  method  of  decision  differs 
materially  from  the  two  preceding  types.  In 
this  third  type  insufficient  time  is  given  to  the 
deliberation,  or  difficulty  is  found  in  classifying 
the  problem.     The  deliberation  is  interrupted 


_— -»u.«9Wub. 


I 


*' 


76      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

by  a  sudden  extreme  feeling  of  value  attaching 
itself  to  one  or  the  other  of  the  contemplated 
alternatives.  The  feelings  rush  in  and  take  the 
place  of  reason.  In  deciding  by  the  woman's 
method  we  are  scarcely  able  to  see  how  we 
reached  our  conclusion  and  we  often  speak  erf 
such  decisions  as  being  intuitive.  We  simply 
feel  that  we  should  decide  in  a  certain  way  and 
fortunately  the  feelings  are  frequently  right. 
Women  are  supposed  to  decide  in  this  way  more 
often  than  men.  They  are  supposed  to  have 
more  perfectly  developed  instincts  or  intuitions. 
Their  sentiment  vanquishes  attempts  to  utilize 
sophisticated  reasoning  and  the  outcome  is  fre- 
quently wise  and  in  every  way  as  worthy  of 
respect  as  are  the  results  of  more  complete 
forms  of  deliberation. 

A  single  illustration  will  make  clear  this 
method  of  deciding.  If  you  are  contemplating  a 
change  in  method  or  speed  of  work,  and  are 
considering  the  alternatives,  you  decide  accord- 
ing to  the  woman's  method  if  a  sudden  rush  of 
feeling  or  rise  of  sentiment  towards  one  of  the 
alternatives  cuts  short  your  deliberation  and 
settles  it  for  you  even  though  the  evidence  is  not 
yet  all  in  and  though  the  *'I  will!"  has  not  been 
resorted  to. 


( 


Reaching  Conclusions  77 

This  method  is  not  at  all  confined  to  women 
but  IS  a  very  common  method  of  deciding  any 
question  in  which  feelings  and  emotions  are 
prominent. 

Methods  of  Reaching  a  Decision  : 

IV.  Reason— Suggestion  :  Flipped-Coin 
Method 

The  flipped-coin  method  of  deciding  is  like 
the  woman's  method  in  that  in  each  the  delibera- 
tion  is  suddenly  cut  short  and  a  definite  conclu- 
sion reached.  The  flipped-coin  method  differs 
from  the  woman's  method,  however,  in  that  the 
factor  which  brings  the  deliberation  to  an  end 
in  the  woman's  method  is  an  internal  stimulus— 
a  surging  up  of  feeling;  the  factor  which  stops 
the  deliberation  in  the  flipped-coin  method  is  an 
external  stimulus  accidentally  arising  at  the 
critical  moment. 

If  I  am  debating  whether  I  shall  continue  my 
work  or  go  to  the  ball  game,  I  may  feel  that 
either  course  is  not  far  wrong  and  yet  I  may  be 
unable  to  decide  which  to  pursue.  In  such  a 
dilemma  I  sometimes  flip  a  coin  and  let  the 
chance  falling  of  the  coin  settle  the  matter  for 
me.    This  device  for  settling  problems  is  typical 


/ 


ii 


.'* 


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i^ 


FP^ 


wi 


I 


>* 


78       Influencing  Men  in  Business 

and  IS  Intended  to  symbolize  numerous  decisions 
in  which  we  permit  some  external  happening  to 
take  the  place  of  further  deliberation.  When 
our  attempts  to  deliberate  have  been  futile  we 
sometimes  '*wait  for  the  question  to  settle  it- 
self." This  may  mean  that  we  abandon  all  hope 
of  settling  the  question;  it  may  mean  that  we 
are  waiting  for  further  evidence;  but  it  fre- 
quently means  that  we  have  merely  ceased  to 
deliberate  and  are  waiting  for  a  successful  sug- 
gestion. 

If  you  are  debating  as  to  whether  you  shall 
change  your  place  of  employment,  and  if  you 
are  having  difficulty  to  decide,  you  may  suddenly 
stop  your  deliberation  and  imitate  the  action  of 
a  fellow  employee  who  has  succeeded  in  solving 
the  same  problem  for  himself.  The  fact  that 
you  had  attempted  to  decide  the  problem  by 
deliberation  and  had  failed  puts  you  in  a  posi- 
tion where  a  chance  suggestion  acts  most  power- 
fully. Reason  thus  gives  way  to  suggestion, 
whether  the  suggestion  be  given  by  such  a 
device  as  flipping  the  coin,  the  example  of  a 
companion,  or  by  some  more  worthy  external 

cue  to  action. 

This  flipped-coin  method  is  frequently  em- 
ployed in  purchasing  goods.    If  you  are  deliber- 


% 


%     '! 


Reaching  Conclusions 


79 


ating  concerning  the  purchase  of  a  fountain  pen 
and  the  relative  merits  of  the  different  makes 
have  not  enabled  you  to  decide  according  to 
logical  processes  as  to  which  one  to  purchase, 
the  sight  of  an  advertisement  of  one  of  the 
makes  may  settle  the  question  for  you.     If  you 
are  passing  a  stationer's  store  and  see  one  of 
the  makes  In  the  window,  the  sight  of  the  pen 
may  be  a  sufficient  suggestion  to  end  the  de- 
liberation and  to  secure  the  purchase  of  the  pen. 
The  genial  companion,  the  hail-fellow-well- 
met,  uses  this  method  of  decision  very  exten- 
sively.    Most  of  the  things  we  do  are  not  done 
for  sufficient  logical  reasons.    The  man  who  re- 
fuses to  give  heed  to  the  suggestions  of  his 
fellows  and  to  determine  his  actions  accordingly 
Is  not  a  pleasant  person  to  be  with.     Where 
logical  reasons  are  adequate  they  should  be  fol- 
lowed.    An  attempt  to  consider,  to  deliberate, 
should  be  as  universal  as  possible.     But  since 
most  questions  do  not  admit  of  logical  deter- 
mination, much  opportunity  Is  left  for  sugges- 
tion as  supplementary  to  reason.    This  form  of 
determination  Is  perhaps  more  common  In  the 
business  world  than  any  of  the  types  previously 
discussed.     We  start  to  reason  but  end  with 
suggestion. 


\  \ 


y 


fH 


? 


80      Influencing  Men  in  Business 
Methods  of  Reaching  a  Decision  : 
J    V.  Suggestion  :  Weather  Vane 

The  method  of  deciding  which  Involves  no 
dehberation  whatever  is  called  suggestion.  The 
thing  is  accepted  at  once  and  acted  upon  without 
any  hesitation  and  hence  without  any  possibility 
or  tendency  to  deliberate. 

If  I  propose  to  you  that  you  change  your 
method  of  work— either  as  to  quality  or  quan- 
tity—and  if  you  accept  the  proposed  change 
without  weighing  the  merits  of  the  case  and 
without  considering  the  rejection  of  the  pro- 
posal, then  you  decide  In  a  way  that  is  properly 
designated  as  the  working  of  suggestion.     If  I 
propose  that  you  "quit  slaving  for  your  old 
boss"  and  "get  into  the  band  wagon  and  join 
forces  with  me,"  your  acceptance  is  the  result'of 
suggestion  unless  you  consider  the  advantages 
of  remaining  in  your  former  position  and  con- 
sider  also  the  disadvantages  of  entering  my 
employ.    If  I  offer  you  my  line  of  merchandise 
in  such  a  way  that  my  method  of  offering  It  or 
my  "personal  magnetism"  are  sufficient  to  cause 
you  to  buy  without  consideration,  you  then  act 
upon  suggestion.    If  the  assertion  in  my  adver- 
tisement,  "Morgan  and  Wright  tires  are  good 


Reaching  Conclusions 


81 


tires,"  unsupported  by  any  form  of  argumenta- 
tion, should  convince  you  that  my  tires  are  good 
tires,  then  your  conclusion  would  be  wholly  due 
to  my  suggestion. 

Which  of  These  Methods  are  Used  Fre- 
quently and  Which  but  Occasionally? 

When  we  study  the  classifications  of  methods 
of  deciding  we  see  that  the  various  classes  differ 
first  as  to  the  prominence  of  deliberation,  and 
second  as  to  the  manner  In  which  the  delibera- 
tion is  completed  or  avoided.  In  Franklin's 
method  the  deliberation  is  fully  developed; 
with  each  succeeding  class  this  deliberation 
grows  less  till  in  the  last  class  it  is  wholly  absent. 

M  In  the  Benjamin  Franklin  method  the  delibera- 
tion is  brought  to  an  end  by  balancing  the 
books;  in  the  Bismarck  method  by  a  tug  of  the 

/  will ;  in  the  woman's  method  by  a  sudden  awak- 
ening of  the    feelings   and   emotions;    in   the 

i  flipped-coln  method  by  a  chance  suggestion ;  and 
in  the  weather-vane  method  deliberation  is 
avoided  altogether  because  of  the  extreme  work- 
ing of  the  suggested  conclusion,  end,  or  activity. 
Every  question  you  decide  is  settled  according 
to  one  of  the  methods  here  considered.  It  be- 
comes a  matter  of  interest  and  importance  to 


V 


V 


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1.1 

m 


82      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

know  which  of  these  methods   are  used  fre- 
quently and  which  ones  but  occasionally. 
^     Formerly   it  was   supposed   that  man  was 
*  primarily  a  reasoning  creature  and  that  he  de-^ 
cided    practically    all    questions    according    to 
either  the  Franklin  or  the  Bismarck  method. 
Suggestion    was    relegated   to    abnormal    psy- 
chology  and  supposed  to  be  characteristic  of 
children  and  hysterical  adults.    A  more  careful 
study  of  the  methods  used  in  every-day  experi- 
ences has  brought  out  the  fact  that  Franklin's 
method  and  the  Bismarck  method  are  not  com- 
mon methods  in  the  usual  experiences  of  life  in 
the  home,  on  the  street,  or  in  the  business  and 
industrial  world.    More  common  than  either  of 
these  two  are  the  methods  of  deciding  in  which 
deliberation  is  curtailed  by  some  other  shorter 
and  simpler  method  of  reaching  a  conclusion. 

A  study  of  the  methods  which  we  all  use  in 
deciding  leads  inevitably  to  the  conclusion  that 
some  problems  are  solved  one  way  and  some 
another.  There  is  perhaps  no  normal  adult  who 
does  not  employ  at  least  occasionally  each  of  the 
methods  described  above.  Under  certain  con- 
ditions we  use  one  method  and  under  different 
conditions  we  use  others.  We  vary  from  day  to 
day  and  from  moment  to  moment  in  our  suscep- 


Reaching  Conclusions 


83 


tibility  to  argumentation  and  to  suggestion.  In 
deciding  certain  classes  of  questions  we  do  not 
feel  satisfied  till  we  have  deliberated;  in  other 
instances  we  feel  no  such  need  for  deliberation 
but  respond  with  alacrity  to  appropriate  sugges- 
tions; persons  and  classes  of  society  differ  also 
in  the  extent  to  which  they  use  the  different 
methods  of  deciding  questions. 


^:i 


it 


CHAPTER  V 

WHEN  TO  USE  ARGUMENTS  IN 
INFLUENCING  MEN 

OUTLINE 


I 


I- 


9 


\ 


Both    Argument    and    Suggestion    are    Effective    in 
Influencing  Men 

I.     Argument  Preferred  in  Exploiting  Any  New 

Thing:  Educational  Campaign 
11.     Argument    Preferred   in    Securing   Relatively- 
Important  Acts 
III.     Argument   Preferred  in  Exploiting  Anything 
Having  Unusual  Talking  Points 
•     IV.     Argument  Preferred  when  It  is  the  Exclusive 
Form  of  Persuasion 
V.     Argument   is    Necessary  in   Influencing   Pro- 
fessional  Buyers 
VI.    Argument   Sometimes  an   Effective  Form  of 

Flattery 
VII.     Hollingworth's   List   of   Conditions   that   De- 
mand Argumentation 
VIII.     "System's"   List  of   Conditions  that  Demand 
Argumentation 


^  I  1 


i 


\ 


•>:■■   r--  i.t- 


CHAPTER  V 


'  ij 


in-    iiiiiH— Mill— I 


:^i 


WHEN  TO  USE  ARGUMENTS  IN 
INFLUENCING  MEN 

Both  Argument  and  Suggestion  are  Ef- 
fective IN  Influencing  Men 

The  four  preceding  chapters  have  made  it 
evident  that  both  argument  and  suggestion  are 
to  be  used  in  influencing  men.  Under  some 
conditions  men  can  not  be  influenced  except  by- 
arguments;  under  other  conditions  arguments 
are  less  potent  than  suggestions.  Some  men  are 
especially  susceptible  to  one  of  the  forms;  cer- 
tain classes  of  decisions  may  be  secured  by  one 
of  the  methods  of  deciding  more  readily  than 
by  another.  Furthermore  some  men  are 
naturally  experts  in  presenting  arguments  while 
others  are  most  successful  when  avoiding  argu- 
ments and  depending  upon  suggestions. 

With  our  present  incomplete  knowledge  of 
business  psychology  it  is  impossible  to  define  all 
the  conditions  under  which  the  business  man 
should  make  use  of  argument  or  suggestion. 
However,  enough  has  been  ascertained  to  pro- 
vide the  business  man  with  a  fairly  satisfactory 
chart  for  his  guidance. 

87 


! 


if 


i 


88      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

In  the  following  discussion  special  attention 
will  be  given  to  advertising  because  our  psy- 
chological knowledge  of  that  branch  of  business 
is  well  advanced,  because  advertising  is  a  good 
typical  form  of  business,  and  because  it  has  a 
definiteness  and  concreteness  about  it  that 
makes  It  good  as  an  illustration.  Each  business 
man  should  be  able  to  make  the  applications  to 
his  own  business,  for  men  are  largely  the  same 
in  all  forms  of  business  and  industry. 

1.  Argument  Preferred  in  Exploiting 
Any  New  Thing:  Educational  Cam- 
paign 

That  argument  is  needed  in  exploiting  new 
goods  is  a  statement  that  holds  true  of  all  mer- 
chandise whether  a  new  class  of  goods  or 
merely  a  new  brand  of  an  old  class. 

I  secured  a  phonograph  and  records  for  the 
language  phone  method  of  teaching  a  foreign 
language  because  of  argument.  Until  I  had 
considered  these  arguments  the  suggestion  that 
I  should  secure  the  equipment  would  have  had 
no  effect  upon  me.  In  selling  similar  novel  de- 
vices some  sort  of  a  protracted  educational 
campaign    is    ordinarily    a    prerequisite.    The 


I 


4 


When  to  Use  Arguments 


89 


typewriter  which  I  purchased  was  a  make  new 
to  me  and  I  would  not  have  been  influenced  by 
suggestion  to  make  such  a  purchase,  but  I  did 
yield  to  what  seemed  to  me  at  the  time  suffi- 
cient reason  for  my  action. 

In  exploiting  a  new  brand  or  a  new  make  of 
a  well-known  article,  the  arguments  should  be 
devoted  to  presenting  the  new  features  even 
when  the  article  as  a  whole  may  best  be  sold  by 
suggestion.  Thus  when  a  new  type  of  piano- 
player  is  put  on  the  market,  if  it  is  one  that  in- 
creases the  orchestral  effect  of  the  piano,  this 
fact  should  be  presented  in  the  form  of  an 
argument  for  the  purchase  of  this  particular 
player.  The  public  should  be  persuaded  by 
arguments  to  select  this  particular  make,  if  they 
purchase  at  all,  and  then  the  suggestions  to  pur- 
chase may  be  effective  in  securing  immediate 
action. 


\ 


\ 


I 


II.  Argument     Preferred     in     Securing 
Relatively  Important  Acts 

Argumentation  is  the  only  effective  method 
of  inducing  men  to  perform  important  acts.  I 
would  spend  a  nickel  upon  the  merest  sugges- 
tion that  I  should  do  so.    I  would  not  spend  a 


]'■■ 

>  if 


«ii 


|! 


*: 


t&^ 


90      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

thousand  dollars  upon  suggestion  but  only  as 
the  result  of  deliberation  following  the  pre- 
sentation of  arguments.  In  inducing  people  to 
spend  money,  arguments  are  essential  if  the 
amount  of  the  purchase  is  any  appreciable  pro- 
portion of  their  total  capital.  In  inducing 
people  to  purchase,  the  power  of  suggestion 
decreases  directly  with  the  increase  of  the  pro- 
portion of  the  cost  of  the  article  to  their  total 
wealth.  The  working  of  suggestion  is  then  not 
dependent  directly  upon  the  size  of  the  pur- 
chase bufupon  the  proportion  of  the  cost  to  the 
total  wealth.  It  may  mean  as  much  for  me  to 
purchase  a  current  magazine  as  for  a  capitalist 
to  purchase  a  block  of  new  stock.  In  such  an 
instance  suggestion  might  be  equally  effective  in 
inducing  me  to  purchase  the  magazine  and  the 
capitalist  to  purchase  an  interest  in  a  seasoned 
stock. 

Whether  in  the  field  of  commerce  or  of  in- 
dustry, arguments  are  necessary  in  persuading 
men  to  change  their  customs  and  habits.  The 
introduction  of  the  piece-rate  system  into  a 
community  accustomed  to  fixed  wages  demands 
arguments.  To  induce  men  to  enter  unknown 
fields  of  activity  demands  an  educational  cam- 
paign based  on  arguments. 


When  to  Use  Arguments 


91 


r 


III. ,  Argument  Preferred  in  Exploiting 
Anything  Having  Unusual  Talk- 
ing Points 
Occasionally  staples  or  specialties  which  have 
altogether  unusual  talking  points  are  placed  on 
the   market.    In   some   instances   the   price   is 
actually  lower  than  that  of  competing  goods. 
Thus  some  of  the  newer  brands  of   sewing 
machines  which  sell  for  $40  are  fully  equal  to 
some  of  the  older  machines  that  are  sold  for 
$60.  Some  of  the  newer  makes  of  automobiles 
are  fully  equal  to  the  older  makes  which  sell 
for  several  hundred  dollars  more  per  car. 

Goods  are  sometimes  placed  on  the  market 
which  are  clearly  superior  to  all  competing 
goods  and  yet  cost  no  more  or  but  little  more. 
When  the  Domino  lump  sugar  was  first  adver- 
tised it  was  cleaner,  more  convenient,  and  more 
attractive  than  any  other  sugar  on  the  market. 
The  Domino  Crystal  Salt  was  at  one  time  the 
only  salt  on  the  market  which  did  not  cake  and 
which  ran  freely  from  the  container.  The 
Gillette  safety  razor  had  very  decided  points  of 
superiority  over  any  of  its  original  competitors. 
When  goods  have  such  talking  points  on 
price  or  quality  as  those  here  cited  they  should 
be  used  as  the  basis  for  arguments  for  the  pur- 


r 

I 


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tm 


92 


r 


•til 


i 


" 


II 


I>'fl™nc,ng  Men  ,n  Business 


chase  of  the  eoods      Tu 

Poims  should  be  empha^"d  H"™'"  "™"8 

f  the  possible  cusTom       tha  "b"  ^"T'^'^ 

f  compering  l;„es.    Thrcut"/°°f  ,"'"•  •*» 

•°  ««  logical  reasoning TrT/Ih      ;;'''  ""^  '^'l 

-  '  0/  their  deliberat  "Vi^/f  f  d''^  "" 
balancing  of  acconnfc  •     r  *   definite 

Wth  the'„n„s„aTa"gl'e"„,^^°'  *'  S""^' 
.«"ing  goods  may  b^  «Td  ^f  ^f"  "  "'''  "' 
influence  men.  l/thl  ,  f  '"  '"^P"  to 
and  convincing  arLmel  1'  IT^"  ""''''''> 
he  u,i,i«d  as 'far  S7„:  b  r"lf ':  ""^^  ''■°"'^ 
being  made  to  mdu-ZJ^T  "  '"™Pt  ''s 

feed  salaries  to  the  p™;^'"  '"  ''"^^  '™"' 
to  increase  their  L^!/         '>"'""  '""^  also 

»en  should  be  Ibor      cTeZ  IT'""^'  '"' 
arguments  that  th^^Jr  ,  ^  convincing  ' 

-,  increased  fe^sld^r-"- 

IV.  Argument  Preferred  when  It  k  . 

ExcEus,VE  Form  ot  Pe^ Js^o'^  ™' 

They  see  other,  p  rctsinf  1°'  ^''^""^'"8- 

°'  *»■>  «ends  /urcha::;^bt-t::  t^ 


.1 

» 


I 


When  to  Use  Arguments 


93 


subjected  to  the  influence  of  imitation.  The 
salesman  attempts  to  sell  them  the  advertised 
goods  and  so  brings  his  personal  influence  to 
bear  upon  them.  They  inspect  the  goods  and 
so  supplement  the  words  of  the  advertisements 
with  observation.  They  may  have  had  other 
and  favorable  experiences  with  the  goods  or 
the  house  and  so  in  one  way  or  another  they 
are  predisposed  to  do  that  which  the  advertis- 
ing attempts  to  induce  them  to  do.  With  cus- 
tomers thus  predisposed  to  purchase,  sugges- 
tion may  be  sufficient,  but  where  some  influence 
other  than  advertising  is  not  exerted  and  where 
the  customers  are  not  predisposed  to  make  the 
purchase,  there  is  need  of  **reason-why''  copy, 
of  **data-built"  copy.  Facts,  data,  reasons,  must 
be  presented  in  sufficient  abundance  to  enable 
the  uninterested  possible  customer  to  overcome 
his  indifference  and  to  see  why  it  is  to  his  in- 
terest to  purchase  the  goods. 

Occasionally  advertising  is  the  exclusive  sell- 
ing plan.  This  is  frequently  the  exclusive 
method  •'employed  by  mail-order  houses.  In 
such  instances  it  is  wise  to  present  arguments 
pretty  fully  so  that  the  readers  may  have  ade- 
quate data  for  accepting  or  rejecting  the  goods. 
The  advertisement  may  well  be  of  the  sort 


1' 


J. 


* 


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k 


4 


II 


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ill 


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I 


94      Influencing  Men  in  Business 

copy.'" etc   ''   "'■''^^"■^^y  ^°Py'"   "data-built 

V.  Argument  is  Necessary  in  Influenc- 
ing Professional  Buyers 

In  selling  to  professional  buyers  mere  M,«r 
gestion    s   not  sufficienf      Q.  •       .       ^* 

nIo.«  I,  u  ,  '"'^'^"^-  Suggestion  has  its 
p  ace  here  but  there  is  absolute  necessity  for 
reasons  why."  The  merchandise  must  be 
shown  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  coluLr 
o  such  goods.  The  professional  buyer  haMt  ! 
ally  analyzes  and  compares,  at  least  more  than 
ordinary  purchasers.  The  goods  offered  do  not 
stand  out  m  his  mind  as  unrelated  things  bu 

same  class.     The  professional  buyer  does  not 

caut T  "r'"''"r  '^^^"^^  '^  '^  ^-^  ^"t  Z 
cause  It  IS  ^.//.r.     In  order  that  he  may  be 

assisted  to  formulate  this  judgment  of  bette 

^^e^merchant  must  furnish  him  with  adequate 

What  has  been  said  of  methods  of  selling  to 
professional  buyers  may  be  applied  directly  to 
methods  of  selling  technical  equipment  and  all 
gc^ds^tW  are  sold  strictly  according  tot^^^^^^^ 


i 


When  to  Use  Arguments 


95 


VI.  Argument  Sometimes  an  Effective 
Form  of  Flattery 
Argumentation  is  often  advisable  because 
people  like  to  assume  that  they  are  following 
their  reason.  The  arguments  in  favor  of  an 
automobile  may  not  be  comprehended  and  yet 
after  reading  the  arguments  the  reader  may  de- 
cide to  purchase  the  particular  make  because  he 
assumes  that  the  arguments  would  convince  him 
if  he  could  understand  them.  In  advertise- 
ments of  Grape  Nuts  the  statement,  '^There's 
a  reason,"  has  weight  even  though  the  reader 
has  no  idea  as  to  what  the  reason  is  to  which 
reference  seems  to  be  made.  We  often  demand 
that  appeals  should  be  made  to  the  reason  and 
until  such  an  appeal  has  been  made  we  are 
unwilling  to  decide.  We  are  flattered  by  at- 
tempts to  convince  us  with  reasons  and  so  the 
"reason-why"  copy  is  more  successful  in  ad- 
vertising than  one  might  anticipate  even  in  in- 
stances where  decisions  are  not  the  result  of 
deliberation.  The  mere  presence  of  arguments 
may  often  allay  suspicion,  though  not  an  argu- 
ment is  read.  Even  where  the  arguments  are 
read,  their  significance  may  not  be  appreciated 
in  the  least  and  yet  the  reader  may  be  so  flat- 
tered by  the  presence  of  the  arguments  that 


When  to  Use  Arguments 


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96     Influencing  Men  in  Business 

they  are  as  effective  in  securing  a  decision  as 
they  would  be  if  the  arguments  were  fully 
understood. 


VII.    HOLLINGWORTH^S    LiST    OF    CONDITIONS 

THAT  Demand  Argumentation 

"Argument  ....  is  especially  fitted,  by  its 
nature  and  by  the  way  it  is  reacted  to,  ...  . 
for  articles  which  are  in  themselves,  or  from 
the  use  to  which  they  are  put,  impersonal, 
utilitarian,  instrumental;  and  for  articles  which 
are  intended  not  so  much  to  fill  present  needs 
only,  but  also  to  create  new  needs  or  desires — 
such  articles  as  books,  plows,  buttons,  hammers, 
trucks,  etc. — in  general,  to  those  things  which 
partake  of  the  nature  of  a  tool." 


97 


vertisements  needed  to  induce  an  unintended  w} 
expenditure  of  money,  or  needed  to  bring  ^ 
about  a  radical  change  in  a  man's  usual  way  of 
buying,  or  an  innovation  in  his  habits — as  buy- 
ing from  a  dealer  not  usually  patronized  by 
him,  buying  by  mail  instead  of  from  a  dealer, 
having  an  arficle  made  to  order  instead  of  buy- 
ing ready-made,  or  vice  versa,  or  hunting  for  a 
store  that  can  supply  the  article.'* 


i 


"II 


VIII.  "System's''  List  of  Conditions  that 
Demand  Argumentation 

System's  Magazine  for  September,  19 12,  In 
"How  to  Advertise  to  Men,"  attempts  to 
classify  the  conditions  in  advertising  that  de- 
mand dependence  upon  an  argumentative  form 
of  copy.  The  conclusion  is  reached  that  the 
copy  should  be  argumentative  whenever  the  "ad- 


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CHAPTER  VI 

WHEN  TO  USE  SUGGESTIONS  IN 
INFLUENCING  MEN 

OUTLINE 


I.    Suggestion  Preferred  when  Inadequate  Time  is 

Given  for  Arguments 
II.     Suggestion   Preferred  in   Securing  Action   Fol- 
lowing Conviction 
III.    Suggestion  Preferred  as  a  Supplementary  Method 

of  Convincing 
IV.    Suggestion  Preferred  in  Dealing  with  the  Gen- 
eral Public 
V.     Suggestion   Preferred    for   Securing   Immediate 

Action 
VI.     Hollingworth's    List    of    Conditions    in    Selling 

Goods   that  Demand   Suggestion 
VII.    Argument  or  Suggestion:  Resume 


f 


I 


CHAPTER  VI 

WHEN  TO  USE   SUGGESTIONS  IN 
INFLUENCING  MEN 

1.  Suggestion    Preferred    when    Inade- 
quate Time  is  Given  for  Arguments 

An  argument  can  not  be  presented  in  as  brie^ 
a  form  as  a  suggestion.  If  people  would  stop 
to  read  the  arguments  appearing  in  advertise- 
ments, then  doubtless  all  advertisers  would 
make  extensive  appeals  to  the  reason.  By  care- 
ful investigation  it  has  been  determined  that  but 
few  people  spend  much  time  in  reading  adver- 
tisements. It  has  been  estimated  that  the 
average  reader  does  not  spend  more  than  ten 
minutes  in  reading  the  advertisements  appear- 
ing in  a  single  issue  of  a  monthly  magazine,  a 
daily  or  a  weekly  paper.  That  is  to  say,  the 
reader  of  a  magazine  glances  through  one  hun- 
dred pages  of  advertisements  in  less  than  ten 
minutes.  Advertisements  in  daily  papers  are 
read  equally  fast.  A  common  practice  is  to 
turn  over  all  the  pages,  to  glance  at  all  the  ad- 
vertisements, excepting  the  smallest  ones,  but  to 
read  few  or  none  of  them.  For  this  great  class 
of  potential  buyers  arguments  are  usually  lost. 

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102     Influencing  Men  in  Business 

If  a  single  suggestion  Is  given  by  means  of  a 
picture  or  of  display  type,  the  advertisement 
may  be  effective  with  thousands  of  persons  who 
would  not  take  the  time  or  the  trouble  to  read 
the  arguments. 

The  question  concerning  the  relative  merits 
of  arguments  and  suggestions  in  advertisements 
IS  not  whether  people  are  affected  more  by  the 
reading  of  arguments  than  by  the  reading  of 
the  suggestions.     The  question  is  whether  the 
argument  or  the  suggestion  Is  the  more  effective 
\  method  of  appealing  to  the  average  man  who 
reads  all  sorts  of  publications,  who  rides  on 
street  cars  and  passes  by  the  bill-boards.    The 
probable  answer  Is  that  most  people  are  af- 
fected more  by  suggestions  In  advertisements 
than  by  argumentations   simply  because   they 
will  not  take  time  to  read  the  arguments  to  the 
same  extent  that  they  do  take  time  to  read  the 
suggestions.     The  long  argument  Is  read  by  a 
few  and  these  few  are  much  Impressed;  the 
short  argument  Is  read  by  many  and  they  are 
all  a  little  affected.     Other  things  being  equal, 
the  number  of  persons  who  will  read  an  adver- 
tisement decreases  directly  as  the  size  of  the 
copy  Increases.     The   effect  produced  by  the 
reading  of  the  advertisement  increases  directly 


When  to  Use  Suggestions 


103 


with  the  size  of  the  copy  and  the  time  consumed 
In  reading  it 

II.  Suggestion    Preferred    in    Securing 
Action  Following  Conviction 

In    advertising    goods    thoroughly    known, 
argument  Is  often  superfluous  and  mere  sug- 
gestion is  adequate.     Most  magazine  readers 
are  convinced  that  Ivory  Soap  Is  a  good  soap. 
All  that  is  left  for  the  manufacturer  to  do  is  to 
give  the  suggestion  which  will  lead  to  the  pur- 
chase.    If  it  is  deemed  wise  to  convince  the 
public  that  the  familiar  goods  possess  a  par- 
ticularly desirable  quality  this  may  often  be 
accomplished  by  suggestion  instead  of  by  argu- 
mentation, provided  the  goods  are  already  well 
established  In  the  confidence  of  the  people.     A 
familiar  example  is  that  of  the  attempt  to  con- 
vince the  public  that  Ivory  Soap  is  particularly 
pure  and  delicate.     This  suggestion  of  purity 
and  delicacy  Is  given  by  means  of  artistic  pic- 
tures showing  cultivated  people  using  the  soap 
and  using  it  for  delicate  work.    The  suggestion 
is  also  given  by  means  of  the  repetition  of  the 
phrase,   99   44/100  per  cent  pure.      General 
readers  are  affected  by  this  suggestion,   and 


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104    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  Ivory  Soap  Is 
particularly  pure  even  though  they  are  quite 
unable  to  cite  a  single  reason  for  such  a  con- 
elusion. 

In  our  task  of  persuading  men,  perhaps  In 
most  mstances,  we  attempt  to  get  them  to  do 
what  they  already  know  they  should  do.  The 
superintendent  does  not  have  to  convince  his 
men  that  they  should  render  better  service.  The 
function  of  the  superintendent  Is  rather  to  get 
men  to  do  what  they  already  know  they  should 
do  and  what  In  fact  they  themselves  desire  to 
do.    The  right  suggestion  helps  the  men  and  en- 
courages them  to  do  what  without  suggestion  Is 
impossible  for  them.     The  suggestion  to  the 
desired  action  needs  to  be  frequently  repeated 
that  It  may  be  constantly  In  mind.    This  repeat- 
mg  of  the  same  suggestion  over  and  over  again 
has  a  cumulative  effect  which  Is  greater  than 
could  be   secured  by  lengthy  or  by  diverse 
arguments. 

III.  Suggestion   Preferred  as  a  Supple- 

MENTARY  MeTHOD  OF  CONVINCING 

Much   advertising  Is   Intended   not  to   sell 
goods  but  to  supplement  other  selling  methods. 


When  to  Use  Suggestions        105 

This  is  true  not  only  of  street  car  and  poster 
advertising  but  also  of  much  advertising  waged 
in  magazines  and  newspapers.  The  supple- 
mentary nature  of  advertising  is  particularly 
apparent  in  advertising  such  things  as  automo- 
biles, typewriters,  dictographs  and  in  all  forms 
of  insurance  and  financial  advertising.  The 
function  of  the  advertisement  in  such  instances 
is  to  get  the  potential  purchaser  in  a  favorable 
attitude  toward  the  commodity  and  then  the 
consummation  of  the  sale  is  left  to  the  sales- 
man, booklet,  or  catalogue,  or  to  some  other 
person  or  selling  device.  This  supplementary 
advertising  may  sometimes  use  arguments,  but 
its  chief  dependence  is  upon  some  form  of  sug- 
gestion. 

Street-car  and  out-door  advertising  is  in  the 
main  only  supplementary  and  hence  suggestion 
is  extensively  used,  while  logical  arguments  play 
a  less  important  part.  In  advertising  goods 
which  are  to  be  purchased  at  a  later  time  and 
only  after  inspection,  it  is  not  necessary  to  con- 
vince the  customer  by  reasons  presented  in  the 
advertisement  but  to  suggest  some  single  fact 
which  may  be  sufficiently  compelling  to  cause 
him  to  inspect  the  goods.  In  this  way  the  sup- 
plementary  advertising  greatly   simplifies   the 


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task  of  the  clerk,  the  drummer,  or  the  selling 
plan  whatever  it  be. 

^  In  persuading  men,  logical  reasoning  is  prac- 
tically never  to  be  used  alone.  After  the  argu- 
ments have  been  presented  skilful  suggestions 
should  be  used  as  a  supplement.  This  supple- 
ment often  changes  threatened  defeat  into  suc- 
cess. The  skilful  pleader  before  a  jury,  the 
wise  politician,  and  the  successful  superin- 
tendent of  men,  all  alike  are  compelled  to 
resort  to  suggestion  to  supplement  their  argu- 
ments in  their  attempts  to  influence  men. 

IV.  Suggestion     Preferred    in    Dealing 
with  the  General  Public 

If  we  should  divide  all  customers  into  the 
two  classes,  professional  buyers  and  the  general 
public,  then  in  appealing  to  this  latter  class 
special  attention  should  be  given  to  suggestion. 
In  an  advertisement  containing  both  a  good 
suggestion  and  a  good  argument,  the  sugges- 
tion is  read  often  and  the  argument  rarely. 
From  infancy  we  have  been  accustomed  to  re- 
spond to  suggestions  so  frequently  that  we 
follow  this  habit  in  purchasing  merchandise 
even  though  we  ought  to  make  such  purchases 


When  to  Use  Suggestions        107 

only  after  due  deliberation.     Deliberation  is  a 
process  of  thought  which  is  very  elaborate  and 
very  exhausting.     The  general  purchaser — ^the 
housewife — does  not  ordinarily  rise  to  such  an 
undertaking  but  contents  herself  with  a  process 
very  closely  approximating  the  working  of  pure 
suggestion.    Even  though  she  begins  to  deliber- 
ate, the  process  is  likely  to  be  cut  short  by  the 
effect  of  a  clever  suggestion.    A  suggestive  pic- 
ture means  more  to  her  than  any  possible  mass- 
ing of  facts  and  figures.     Such  a  suggestive 
phrase  as  "Spotless  Town"  when  associated  in 
her  mind  with  Sapolio  becomes  more  effective 
in  selling  her  a  washing  compound  than  any 
statement  concerning  its  chemical  purity.    The 
suggestive  force  of  imitation  is  with  her  so 
powerful  that  she  follows  the  actions  of  others 
with  more  confidence  than  the  findings  of  her 
own  deliberations. 

V.  Suggestion    Preferred    for    Securing 
Immediate  Action 

President  Hadley  of  Yale  some  time  since 
delivered  an  address  in  the  Auditorium  at  Chi- 
cago. At  the  time  he  was  suffering  from  a  very 
severe  cold.     In  the  midst  of  his  remarks  he 


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stopped,  remarked  that  he  was  a  victim  of  a 
cold  and  cleared  his  throat  Immediately  not 
less  than  a  hundred  persons  in  the  audience 
began  to  clear  their  throats  and  to  cough  till  it 
was  difficult  to  hear  him  speak  for  some 
minutes.  Not  long  ago  I  was  in  a  company 
where  a  man  in  a  conspicuous  position  yawned. 
Immediately  a  score  of  persons  were  affected  by 
the  suggestion  and  unconsciously  imitated  his 
action.  The  peculiarity  of  suggested  action  is 
that  the  action  follows  at  once  upon  the  giving 
of  the  suggestion.  The  result  of  presenting 
arguments  is  deliberation  with  its  attendant 
hesitation. 

Where  any  sort  of  an  educational  campaign 
is  to  be  waged  preceding  the  desired  action, 
arguments  are  desirable.  When  immediate 
action  is  sought  and  no  attempt  is  being  made 
to  educate,  suggestion  is  preferred.  In  creating 
sentiment  in  favor  of  a  magazine,  data  must  be 
presented  concerning  the  virtues  of  the  maga- 
zine. When  the  magazine  is  out  and  on  the 
newsstands  and  the  purpose  of  the  advertise- 
ment is  to  secure  immediate  purchase,  then 
suggestion  is  superior  to  argument.  The 
greatest  suggestion  in  securing  immediate  sales 
of  a  magazine  by  means  of  advertising  is  re- 


When  to  Use  Suggestions        109 

puted  to  have  been  the  advertising  done  by  the 
Delineator  when  they  forced  us  to  purchase  by 
the  use  of  suggestion,  "J^st  get  the  Delineator !" 


VI.  Hollingworth's  List  of  Conditions 
IN  Selling  Goods  that  Demand 
Suggestion 

HoUIngworth's  classification  Is  not  so  much 
the  conditions  in  selling  goods  that  demand  sug- 
gestion, as  it  is  a  classification  of  the  kinds  of 
goods  that  may  be  sold  advantageously  by 
suggestion.  According  to  the  classification 
which  he  recently  proposed,  suggestion  is  well 

adapted : 

"i.  For  all  personal  articles,  the  use  of 
which  is  intimate  and  private,  as  toilet  articles, 
gifts,  stationery,  etc. 

"2.  For  articles  of  luxury,  display  and  adorn- 
ment, as  jewelry,  fancy  dress  goods,  feathers 
and  plumes,  flowers,  etc. 

"3.  For  articles  enjoyed  in  themselves  or 
for  their  own  sake,  rather  than  for  remote 
service  which  they  may  render,  as  drinks,  musi- 
cal instruments,  sweetmeats,  toys,  etc, 

"4.  For  articles  calculated  to  promote  the 
hodily  safety  of  the  individual  or  of  those  de- 


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no    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

pendent  on  him,  as  disinfectants,  safety  devices, 
insurance,  weapons  of  defense,  etc. 
5.  For  all  food  products. 
"6.  For  all  clothing  which  tends  to  be  orna- 
mental rather  than  utilitarian  in  character,  as 
ties,  collars,  laces,  canes,  etc." 

VII.  Argument  or  Suggestion  :  Resum£ 

To  influence  men  effectively  is  no  simple  task. 
Some  men  seem  naturally  gifted  with  this  power 
and  are  able  to  accomplish  as  much  intuitively 
as  are  other  men  after  much  study  devoted  to 
the  subject.    The  men  with  such  talents  as  well 
as  those  less  generously  endowed  may  increase 
their   skill   in   influencing  men   by  proceeding 
scientifically  at  their  task.     The  two  methods 
available  for  influencing  men  are  those  of  argu- 
ment and  suggestion.     Which  general  type  to 
employ  is  a  problem  that  can  not  be  easily 
solved.     In  attempting  to  secure  light  upon  the 
subject  and  to  choose  wisely  between  argument 
and  suggestion,  the  business  man  can  not  safely 
follow  the  advice  of  his  chance  counselor  nor 
may  he  follow  precedents,  for  there  is  no  uni- 
formity among  counselors  nor  among  successful 
precedents. 


When  to  Use  Suggestions 


III 


If  the  business  man  Is  an  advertiser  and  is 
considering  methods  of  influencing  the  public, 
he  can  decide  wisely  only  after  a  careful  analy- 
sis of  the  problem  confronting  him,  both  be- 
cause of  the  nature  of  his  goods  and  because 
of  the  nature  of  the   responses  that  may  be 
secured  from  his  possible  customers.     If  his 
goods  are  new,  an  educational  campaign  must 
be  waged  in  which  logical  arguments  have  a 
prominent  place.     If  his  goods  have  unusual 
talking  points,  these  should  be  presented,    if  he 
depends  upon  advertising  exclusively,  he  must 
then  supply  his  customers  with  adequate  data 
for  purchasing  the   goods.      If   he   is   selling 
mainly  to  professional  buyers,  arguments  are 
essential.    If  his  possible  customers  may  be  in- 
duced  to  glance  at  his  advertisement  but  may 
not  be  induced  to  read  arguments,  then  argu- 
ments should  in  the  main  be  eliminated  and 
suggestions  made  effective.     If  his  goods  are 
thoroughly  known  to  the  customers,  a  mere  sug- 
gestion may  be  more  effective  than  any  possible 
argument.    If  the  advertisements  are  depended 
upon  not  to  sell  the  goods  but  merely  to  famil- 
iarize the  public  with  the  goods  or  to  make 
them   favorably  disposed  towards  the   goods, 
then  suggestion  Is  all  the  case  demands.     The 


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general  public  responds  more  readily  to  suffges- 
tions  than  to  arguments;  hence  in  dealing  with 
this  large  group  it  is  usually  wise  to  construct 
the  copy  according  to  this  habitual  method  of 
response  of  the  general  public.  Immediate 
action  IS  more  often  secured  by  suggestion  than 
by  argument. 

Whatever  the  end  sought  through  persua- 
sion,  the  problem  is  similar  to  that  of  selling 
goods  by  means  of  printed  forms  of  advertis- 
ing and  the  solution  of  the  problem  is  equally 
complex  and  equally  important  in  every  line  of 
Dusmess. 

After  the  business  man  has  analyzed  methods 
ot  persuading  men  and  after  he  has  decided  to 
employ  either  argument  or  suggestion,  then  a 
further  problem  awaits  him— How  shall  he 
construct  his  arguments  or  his  suggestions  so 
they  will  secure  the  maximum  results  >  The 
next  two  chapters  will  deal  with  these  practical 
problems. 


/ 


CHAPTER  VII 
MAKING  ARGUMENTS  EFFECTIVE 


OUTLINE 

The  Requisites  of  Completed  Deliberation 
I.  Creating  an  Adequate  Idea  of  What  is  Offered 
II.  The  HOW  Supplements  the  WHY  in  an  Argument 

n/  ,x?^.  ^l^""^  ""^  ^^^^'""^  ^"^  Sentiment  in  an  Argument 
IV.  Weighmg  the  Evidence 

V.  Concluding  the  Argum£nt 


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CHAPTER  VII 
MAKING  ARGUMENTS  EFFECTIVE 


The  Requisites  of  Completed  Delibera- 
tion 

As  shown  in  Chapter  II,  "An  Analysis  of 
Deliberation,"  we  present  arguments  in  order 
that  we  may  make  people  deliberate.  That 
their  deliberation  may  be  complete  they  must 
do  five  things : 

1.  They  must  have  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
thing  which  we  are  attempting  to  persuade  them 
to  choose  or  to  do. 

2.  They  must  have  a  clear  idea  of  just  what 
they  must  do  to  choose  the  thing  proposed. 

3.  They  must  be  led  to  attach  value  to  our 
offer. 

4.  They  must  consciously  weigh  the  evidence 
which  we  have  presented  in  comparison  with 
reasons  for  selecting  other  things  or  for  not 
acting  at  all. 

5.  And  finally  they  must  be  led  to  make  a 
more  or  less  logical  deduction  resulting  in  con- 
viction and  the  performance  of  the  act  which  we 
arc  advocating. 

The   strength  of  an  argument  can  not  be 

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ii6    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

judged  by  its  phraseology  but  depmds  exclu- 
sively upon  the  success  it  has  in  c  lusing  per- 
sons to  perform  these  five  essential  steps  in  a 
typical  act  of  deliberation, 

L  Creating  an  Adequate  Idea  of  What  is 
Offered 

An  argument  must  give  data  concerning  the 
thing  proposed.  The  skill  is  not  so  much  in  giv- 
ing much  data  as  in  giving  the  most  effective 
data.  The  real  essential  nature  of  most  things 
does  not  consist  in  the  material  substances  which 
compose  them  but  in  the  relationships  and  func- 
tions which  they  sustain.  Water  is  not  ade- 
quately described  by  stating  that  it  is  composed 
of  two  parts  of  hydrogen  to  one  of  oxygen. 
The  important  thing  about  water  is  the  uses 
which  may  be  made  of  it.  No  one  is  able  to 
give  an  exhaustive  description  of  anything.  The 
relationships  which  even  a  simple  thing  sustains 
are  innumerable.  A  bar  of  soap  may  be  com- 
pletely described  so  far  as  Its  chemical  constitu- 
ents are  concerned  but  no  exploiter  of  soap  has 
been  able  to  tell  us  all  that  might  be  said  about 
his  soap.  There  Is  no  end  to  the  possible  uses, 
the  possible  methods  of  securing  it,  the  possible 


Making  Arguments  Effective     117 

savings  and  delights  which  may  be  secured  from 

it. 

In  presenting  an  argument  in  favor  of  any 
proposition  it  is  not  necessary  to  present  much 
data  but  only  such  data  as  Is  essential  to  the  pur- 
pose in  hand.  The  question  then  naturally  arises 
as  to  what  data  should  be  presented  and  what 
omitted.  This  question  can  not  be  answered 
merely  by  a  study  of  the  thing  offered  for  sale, 
or  of  the  act  desired,  but  rather  by  a  study  of 
the  persons  who  are  to  be  affected  by  the 
argument. 

Professor  Harlow  Gale  attempted  to  dis- 
cover the  most  essential  data  for  selling  soap. 
Under  the  conditions  of  his  experiment  he  found 
these  six  reasons  for  buying  soap  to  be  ranked 
as  follows,  the  most  Important  being  given 
first: 

1.  Purity  by  government  test 

2.  Old  firm 

3.  Home  Industry 

4.  Attractiveness 

5.  Special  sale     ^ 

6.  Souvenir  prize 

In  "Advertising  and  Selling*'  for  February, 
19 13,  W.   A.   Shryer  presents  the   following 


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ii8     Influencing  Men  in  Business 

classifications  which  he  regards  as  important  in 
selling  various  classes  of  merchandise : 

The  dominant  primary  appeals:  (i)  pride, 
(2)  acquisitiveness,  (3)  health,  (4)  utility. 
The  secondary  or  subsidiary  appeals :  ( i )  clean- 
liness, (2)  caution,  (3)  taste,  (4)  ease,  (5) 
beauty,  (6)  sentiment,  (7)  pleasure. 

HoUingworth  arranges  the  data  making  the 
strongest  appeals  in  general  as  follows:  In  the 
first  group  are  the  appeals  to  health,  cleanliness, 
science,  time  saved,  appetizing,  efficiency,  safety, 
durability,  quality,  modernity,  family  affection. 
In  the  second  group  are  reputation,  guarantee, 
sympathy,  medicinal,  imitation,  elegance,  cour- 
tesy, economy,  affirmation,  sport,  hospitality. 
In  the  third  and  last  group  fall  substitutes,  clan 
feeling,  nobbiness,  recommendation,  social  su- 
periority, imported,  and  beauty. 

In  my  study  and  analysis  of  advertising 
successes  I  have  found  many  successful  argu- 
ments based  on  data  (concepts,  appeals,  mo- 
tives, reasons,  etc.)  other  than  those  in  the  lists 
here  reproduced.  This  fact  does  not  in  the  least 
prove  the  futility  of  these  lists,  but  it  does  em- 
phasize the  necessity  of  an  analysis  of  the  goods, 
the  customers,  and  the  methods  of  distribution 
in  every  advertising  campaign. 


Making  Arguments  Effective     119 

If  we  assemble  all  the  possible  data  for  argu- 
ments, scores  or  even  hundreds  of  convincing 
points  may  be  made  in  exploiting  almost  any 
commodity.  Almost  all  goods  offered  for  sale 
could  make  a  majority  of  the  appeals  mentioned 
above,  but  the  order  of  efficiency  of  the  different 
motives  would  vary  from  one  commodity  to 
another. 

Most  salesmen  get  Into  the  habit  of  present- 
ing their  goods  In  a  particular  way  and  so  fail 
to  realize  the  possible  range  of  appeals  that 
could  be  made  for  the  goods.  Let  any  man 
check  up  his  practice  with  these  lists  and  he 
doubtless  would  find  some  appeals  which  he  is 
neglecting  and  which  might  be  very  effective. 


11.  The  how  Supplements  the  WHY  in 
AN  Argument 

If  by  arguments  I  am  trying  to  induce  you  to 
establish  a  factory  In  my  town  I  first  present 
reasons  why  your  factory  would  be  particularly 
profitable  there.  If  I  should  be  able  to  give 
enough  arguments  in  favor  of  the  proposition, 
you  doubtless  would  figure  out  for  yourself  how 
you  would  go  at  it  to  establish  the  factory.  You 
are  not  convinced,  however,  till,  in  imagination, 


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120    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

you  have  established  your  business  there.  If, 
when  In  imagination  you  have  projected  yourself 
into  the  future,  no  insurmountable  difficulties 
occur  to  you,  you  may  be  convinced  and  decide 
to  act.  Before  you  are  convinced  you  are  likely 
to  figure  out  how  my  proposition  could  be  car- 
ried out.  I  would  greatly  increase  my  chances  of 
convincing  you  if  instead  of  confining  myself  to 
why  you  should  build  the  factory,  I  should  de- 
vote much  of  my  presentation  to  describing 
vividly  just  what  you  would  have  to  do  to  follow 
out  the  plan  I  am  proposing.  If  by  my  words 
you  are  led  to  imagine  yourself  as  establishing 
the  factory,  the  mental  image  thus  formed  in 
your  mind  is  more  of  a  ''clincher"  than  any  rea- 
son for  the  action  that  could  possibly  be  offered. 
If  I  am  selling,  by  means  of  advertising,  one 
of  the  best  known  household  commodities,  my 
sargument  is  incomplete  unless  I  state  where  the 
goods  may  be  secured.  Even  though  the  goods 
may  be  had  at  every  grocery  store,  and  even 
though  every  possible  purchaser  may  know 
where  to  get  them,  yet  the  advertisement  should 
contain  a  statement  as  to  how  the  goods  can  be 
secured.  The  function  of  such  a  statement  is 
to  cause  the  possible  purchaser  to  imagine  him- 
self as  going  to  the  store  to  secure  the  goods. 


,j^ 


Making  Arguments  Effective     121 

He  might  possibly  think  out  how  to  get  the 
goods  as  soon  as  he  had  read  the  descriptions  of 
my  goods,  but  my  statement  of  the  necessary 
means  for  securing  the  goods  makes  easy  this 

essential  step. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  there  Is  no  household 
commodity  so  well  known  that  every  possible 
purchaser  knows  just  where  and  how  to  secure 
it  The  salesman  is  so  well  acquainted  with  his 
goods  and  knows  so  well  how  customers  may 
secure  them  that  he  is  inclined  to  forget  that 
one  of  his  special  duties  is  to  educate  new  cus- 
tomers as  to  where  and  how  the  goods  may  be 

had. 

Even  though  an  advertisement  has  made  me 
want  a  thing,  I  am  inclined  to  procrastinate  un- 
less all  the  steps  necessary  for  securing  the 
goods  are  clearly  in  my  mind. 

I  decided  to  try  a  particular  make  of  shoes 
and  to  secure  them  at  a  convenient  time  when  in 
Chicago.  As  a  matter  of  fact  I  did  not  know 
exactly  where  they  were  on  sale.  I  could  easily 
have  found  out  but  I  didn't,  so  I  have  procras- 
tinated the  purchase  which  I  would  have  made 
if  the  place  for  securing  the  shoes  had  been 

definitely  in  mind. 

Many  advertisers  neglect  to  emphasize  the 


i 


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122    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

means  for  securing  the  goods  which  they  exploit. 
The  goods  may  have  general  distribution  and 
may  be  on  sale  at  all  stores  handling  that  gen- 
eral class  of  merchandise,  but  many  possible 
customers  are  not  aware  of  that  fact.  They 
may  be  convinced  of  the  desirability  of  securing 
the  goods,  but  they  fail  to  purchase  because  of 
the  uncertainty  as  to  the  place  or  means  of 
securing  the  goods. 

Furthermore,  the  emphasis  upon  the  steps 
necessary  to  secure  the  goods  acts  not  only  as  a 
source  of  information  for  possible  new  custom- 
ers, but  also  as  a  most  powerful  stimulus  to 
action  for  both  new  and  old  customers. 

A  large  proportion  of  all  advertisements  of 
goods  having  a  general  distribution  fails  to 
make  use  of  this  psychological  fact.  In  the 
current  issue  of  one  of  the  leading  American 
magazines  there  are  65  full-page  advertise- 
ments of  goods  having  general  distribution.  Of 
these  65  advertisements,  22  state  with  some 
completeness  the  means  of  securing  the  goods. 
Such  expressions  as  these  are  used  in  the  ad- 
vertisements : 

"Your  druggist  and  your  grocer  have  X — ." 

"Price  $3.00,  $4.00,  $5.00,  to  $15.00,  at 
leading  dealers  everywhere,'* 


Making  Arguments  Effective     123 

"Write  for  catalogue  B  and  name  of  nearest 

dealer." 

"Sold  by  all  first-class  dealers." 
"Sold  by  all  grocers,  10  cents  a  package." 
Of  the  65  advertisements  7  give  no  hint  as 
to  methods  of  securing  the  goods — no  price,  no 
address,  no  statement  that  the  goods  might  be 
had  at  local  dealers,  no  information  of  hint  as 
to  what  action  is  desired  of  possible  customers. 
The  remaining  59   advertisements  have  in- 
adequate information  as  to  methods  of  securing 
the  goods.     In  fact  I  can  not  learn  from  some 
of  the  advertisements  whether  the  goods  adver- 
tised are  on  sale,  for  instance,  in  Evanston  or 
even  in  Chicago. 

\  This  failure  to  emphasize  the  means  of  se- 
curing the  goods  advertised  is  the  most  glaring 
weakness  in  advertising  at  the  present  time,  and 
renders  ineffectual  many  otherwise  urgent 
arguments. 

Sign-posts  are  not  necessary  in  primitive  vil- 
lages. In  great  cities  sign-posts  are  needed  on 
every  corner  and  these  must  be  supplemented 
by  courteous  policemen.  Modern  methods  of 
merchandising  have  transcended  the  few  re- 
quirements of  the  village  shopkeeper.  There 
are  so  many  possible  roads  which  the  customer 


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124    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

may  take  that  he  is  coming  to  depend  more  and 
more  on  tihe  "sign-posts"  for  his  directions. 
He  IS  unwilling  to  think  for  himself  where 
others  will  do  it  for  him  more  satisfactorily. 

The  modern  merchant  can  not  be  too  specific 
in  his  directions  as  to  the  exact  steps  necessary 
in  answering  an  advertisement  or  purchasing 
goods.  It  is  an  important  question :  How  may 
the  advertiser  best  present  to  the  public  the 
method  of  securing  the  goods? 

The  most  fundamental  condition  in  any  such 
advertising  is  that  the  method  of  securing  the 
goods  should  be  made  clear  to  all  possible  cus- 
tomers who  are  not  familiar  with  the  goods. 
Even  if  the  commodity  has  been  on  the  market 
for  decades  and  if  it  is  to  be  had  at  all  grocers 
or  druggists,  the  place  where  it  can  be  found 
should  be  stated  in  every  advertisement.  The 
construction  of  the  advertisement  should  be 
such  that  when  a  new  possible  customer  reads 
the  advertisement  there  arises  In  his  mind  a 
picture  of  the  place  where  the  goods  can  be  had 
and  of  the  method  of  securing  them.  The 
advertiser  can  not  assume  that  the  possible  cus- 
tomer will  use  any  mental  effort  in  creating  this 
mental  picture.  He  can  not  be  depended  upon 
to  do  any  constructive  thinking,  and  unless  the 


Making  Arguments  Effective     125 

advertiser  has  made  the  method  of  securing  the 
goods  so  plain  that  the  mental  picture  must  be 
seen  by  the  new  customer,  he  will  not  see  It  and 
will  leave  the  advertisement  with  no  thought  of 
securing  the  goods  advertised;  or  at  least  he 
will  be  inclined  to  procrastinate  the  actual  pur- 
chase because  of  his  mental  inertia. 

The  wise  salesman  induces  his  customer  to 
try  on  the  clothing,  to  drive  the  automobile,  to 
play  the  musical  instrument,  etc.  The  wise 
advertiser  presents  the  goods,  so  far  as  pos- 
sible. In  such  a  way  that  the  customer  will  not 
be  compelled  to  use  any  original  thought  In  con- 
ceiving of  all  the  steps  involved  in  the  securing 
of  the  goods. 

III.  The  Place  of  Feeling  and  Sentiment 
IN  AN  Argument 

Much  advertising  fails  to  get  at  the  feelings 
and  emotions,  the  instincts  and  sentiments.  It 
must  not  only  convince  the  public  that  they 
OUGHT  to  act,  but  it  must  present  Its  proposi- 
tion so  that  it  will  make  them  WANTJXLact 

We  are  late  in  reaching  the  pew  but  early  at 
the  bleachers.  We  put  off  writing  to  cousins 
and  aunts,  but  the  fiancee  is  answered  by  ''return 


Il 


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126    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

mail."  The  dictates  of  reason  may  be  resisted 
but  not  the  promptings  of  sentiment  and  emo- 
tions. 

We  put  off  the  things  we  know  we  OUGHT  to 
do  but  not  the  things  we  want  to  do. 

Almost  every  one  who  reads  the  advertise- 
ments of  automobiles  hankers  after  a  machine, 
but  unless  his  income  is  adequate  his  better 
judgment  convinces  him  that  it  would  be  fool- 
ish extravagance  to  make  the  purchase.  In  this 
case  we  seem  to  have  hesitation  produced  by 
the  judgment  even  when  the  purchase  is 
prompted  by  intense  feelings.  But  the  judg- 
ment is  easily  convinced  of  the  wisdom  of  any 
act  which  excites  intense  desire.  In  the  case  of 
the  automobile  the  judgment  easily  recognizes 
a  fanciful  need  and  yields  to  the  promptings  of 

desire. 

A  current  advertisement  takes  advantage  of 
this  psychological  situation  and  makes  a  most 
clever  appeal  to  possible  purchasers  of  auto- 
mobiles. The  following  extract  from  the  text 
of  the  advertisement  is  very  adroit:  *Tou  may 
think  you  don't  WANT  a  motor  car.  But  there 
isn't  any  question  about  your  needing  one. 
There  is  a  difference  between  wanting  a  thing 
and  needing  it There  is  nothing  that 


Making  Arguments  Effective     127 

you  could  invest  the  money  In  that  will  pay  you 
such  a  big  dividend  in  the  saving  of  your  time 
in  business  and  the  saving  of  your  health  for 
years,  as  the  purchase  of  a  motor  car.  A  good 
thing  is  a  better  thing  the  sooner  you  get  it." 

If  this  advertisement  is  able  to  convince  a 
man  that  he  OUGHT  to  get  the  car  he  will  do 
so  at  once  because  he  already  wants  to  pur- 
chase it.  When  desire  Is  surging  we  are  easily 
convinced  that  we  ought  to  act,  and  hence  the 
act  follows  immediately.  When  the  judgment 
is  convinced  but  no  desire  Is  enkindled,  pro- 
crastination keeps  the  Intended  act  from  tak- 
ing place.  Many  articles  of  merchandise  may 
be  so  presented  that  the  public  will  desire  to 
purchase  them.  Or  they  may  be  so  presented 
that  the  public  will  merely  be  convinced  that 
the  goods  OUGHT  to  be  secured.  The  practical 
problem  then  arises  as  to  methods  of  making 
the  public  WANT  to  act  and  want  to  follow  out 
specific  directions. 

Advertisers  have  been  successful  In  accom- 
plishing this  purpose  in  various  ways.  Some 
of  these  successful  methods  are  worthy  of 
consideration. 

Goods  offered  as  means  of  gaining  social 
prestige  make  their  appeals  to  one  of  the  most 


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,28    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

profound  of  the  human  mstmcts.  In  monarchies 

■™:rrC-   wS,":h;c:weaUempe,o 

^™;e  merchandise  used,  by  the  "sweU  and 
Xger"  is  absurd,  but  it  makes  it  Poss.We  for 
!r  advertiser  to  secure  more  responses  tl^an 
mkht  oA  rw  se  be  possible.  As  an  illustrafo,, 
0  As  fact  we  need  but  to  loolc  at  the  successful 
^dve    isements  of   clothing    ^t^'bdes    etc 

^e  quality  of  »he  goods  *em»^'^"  j„7  "° 
seem  to  be  so  important  as  the  apparent  pres 
[reiven  by  the  possession  of  the  goods. 
"S  which  are  presented  as  suppl,.ng  a 

need  long  felt  by  the  public  - J^^^f  J*^ 
™,f  delav     In  the  case  also  of  objects  wnici 
supply  any  of  the  fundamental  instinct,ye  needs, 
hfchancls  are  that  we  shall  act  "".ngly^ 
The  instinctive  desire  to  w,n  social  W'-'^al^ 
but  a  typical  illustration  of  an  appeal  to  the 

fundamental  instincts.  .1.1,.  :j,,s 

Our  feelings  may  be  awakened  by  he  da 

themselves,  by  4e  manner  m  ^^f  .*^;to 

c-.«fpr1   or  bv  a  combination  ot  tne  two. 

m'ide  tf  -vo^'  viands  is  pleasing  in  itself 

„Lhe  manner  of  presenting  the  idea  may  add 

I'ch  toTt:^easing  val«.when  presented  as  is 


Making  Arguments  Effective     129 

done,  for  example,  by  the  National  Biscuit 
Company  In  placing  Nabisco  before  the  public. 
In  the  advertisements  of  Nabisco  an  attempt 
was  made  for  many  months  to  please  by  means 
of  fairy  maids  serving  the  product,  by  means 
of  alluring  verbal  descriptions  of  the  goods 
and  by  perfect  harmony  between  the  Illustra- 
tion and  the  type  matter. 

The  man  with  the  proper  imagination  is  able 
to  conceive  of  any  commodity  in  such  a  way 
that  It  becomes  an  object  of  emotion  to  him  and 
to  those  to  whom  he  imparts  his  picture,  and 
hence  creates  desire  rather  than  a  mere  feeling 
of  ought.  It  would  be  hard  to  conceive  of  any 
more  prosaic  things  than  correspondence 
schools,  dental  cream,  billiard  tables,  tobacco, 
soap,  flour,  fountain  pens,  foods,  musical  In- 
struments, automobiles,  heating  plants,  radia- 
tors, financial  securities,  and  insurance.  In  the 
mind  of  the  artist  these  homely  commodities 
are  transformed  Into  objects  that  awaken  our 
sentiments  and  aesthetic  feelings.  The  adver- 
tisement reproduced  as  Figure  i  presents  to  us 
a  correspondence  school  in  such  a  way  that  our 
sympathies  are  aroused  at  once.  Figure  2  pre- 
sents the  telegraph  and  telephone  in  a  new  light 
to  most  of  us,  and  In  such  a  way  that  it  assumes 


'     i 


I        4 

Ik 


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Ii 


130    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

a  sentimental  value  In  our  minds.     Figure  3 
presents  a  tooth  paste  in  such  a  way  that  the 
presentation  awakens  our  appreciation  of  the 
beauty  of  the  mother  and  child,  who  are  made 
even  more  attractive  because  of  the  use  of  the 
tooth  paste.     Figure  4  is  realistic  as  well  as 
artistic.     It  makes  us  all  feel  that  a  billiard 
table   is   a  most   desirable   thing.      Figure    5 
spreads  a  halo  of  sentiment  about  a  tobacco  so 
that  even  the  non-users  regret  their  inability  to 
enjoy  the  pleasures  of  Velvet  Joe.     All  these 
five  advertisements — and  many  others — present 
their  merchandise  in  such  a  way  that  a  senti- 
mental value  attaches  to  the  goods  advertised. 
They  not  only  please  us  by  the  method  of  pre- 
senting the  goods,  but  they  also  cause  us  to 
ascribe  to  the  goods  themselves  something  of 
sentimental  value. 

The  advertiser  should  be  a  good  business 
man  and  should  know  the  goods  to  be  exploited. 
He  should  be  a  practical  psychologist  and  know 
the  human  emotions  and  sentiments.  He  should 
also  be  a  man  with  a  fertile  imagination  that 
he  may  be  able  to  think  of  his  merchandise  in 
its  most  attractive  forms.  He  must  also  pre- 
sent his  arguments — ^whether  picture  or  type 
matter — in  the  most  artistic  manner  possible 


.!f%  ^ 


<€ 


That  coupon 


gave  me  my  start'* 

"It's  only  a  little  while  ago  that  I  was  just  where  you. 
are  now.  My  work  was  unpleasant:  my  pay  was  small. 
I  had  my  mother  to  take  care  of,  and  it  was  tough  sled- 
ding trying  to  make  ends  meet.  I  hadn't  had  much 
schooling.  I  didn't  know  enough  to  fill  any  better  job 
than  the  one  I  had. 

"One  day  I  saw  an  advertisement  of  the 
American  School.  It  told  how  other  men  got 
better  positions  and  bigger  salaries  by  taking  their 
courses.  I  didn't  see  how  a  correspondence  school 
could  benefit  me.  but  as  long  as  it  didn't  cost  any- 
thing to  mark  the  coupon  I  thought  it  was  worth 
investigating  at  least.  I  marked  the  coupon  and 
sent  it  in  on  the  next  mail. 

"That  was  two  years  apo,  and  now  I'm  drawing  more 
money  evtry  wetk  than  I  uaed  to  get  in  a  month.  '* 

If  you  want  a  better  job,  if  you  want  more  congenial 
work,  if  you  want  a  salary  that  will  put  you  in  the  cla»*  where 

you  belong  — 

SIGN  AND  MAIL  THE  COUPON  NOW 

American  School 

^     JLof  Correspondence.  Chicago.  USA 


This   school  has  no  connection  with  any  other  school  usinq  the  mime  "amrricnn 


, .  Clrrtrlnl  K»<rlMwr 

,  Elrr.  I.ickl  A  P<>«rrSap<. 

.  .F.lrrlriral  IVirrM.a 

..Arrbitrcl 

..nnlldiac  CoiitrartKr 
.   Arrhilrrtiiml  llrtfli 
.   Sirurtiiral  IkraffanaK 
,  .MriirliirAl  F.iirinrer 
,  <  wwf  r.i.  FnrtBecT 
.TiTil  Curiaccr 

MrcliaNlnil  f  itrli>*rr 

.SInm  F-rian-r 
.  .Maiiirlp«l>:iiKia««r 
.fima  FiiriH.  F.art**«P 
>6a«  Tr»el«r  f.mtiw^r 


.tmwftr 

.  Rawkkm^r  _ 

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Ae«*iiiilaac  ■ 

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.AndiCsr  | 

■  Pirc  Im   laapn^tar     I 
.Fira  la*.  Ailjn.trr 
.Mr*  lam.  F\p.r(  ■ 

■  liariMr  Pirtar.  Op'r  " 

■  Irriratina  l.Bfia«cr  I 
.T.ilila  RaM 
.rall.(.  rrrpmr»t»rf  ■ 

■  lata.  M.ckaalciaa      " 


Namk  .... 
AODRISS 


....a......... ...... 


Figure  1 


M 


il 


r 


m\ 


I 

V 


■ 


Fairy  Magic — Telephone  Reality 


A  tent  large  enough  to  shelter 
his  vast  army,  yet  so  small  that  he 
could  fold  it  in  his  hand,  was  the 
gift  demanded  by  a  certain  sultan 
of  India  of  his  son,  the  prince  who 
married  the  fairy  Pari-Banou. 

It  was  not  difficult  for  the  fairy 
to  produce  the  tent.  When  it  was 
stretched  out,  the  sultan's  army 
conveniently  encamped  under  it 
and,  as  the  army  grew,  the  tent 
extended  of  its  own  accord. 

A  reality  more  wonderful  than 
Prince  Ahmed's  magic  tent  is  the 
Bell  Telephone.  It  occupies  but  a 
few  square  inches  of  space  on  your 


desk  or  table,  and  yet  extends  over 
the  entire  country. 

When  you  grasp  it  in  your  hand, 
it  is  as  easily  possible  to  talk  a 
hundred  or  a  thousand  miles  away 
as  to  the  nearest  town  or  city. 

In  the  Bell  System,  9,000,000 
telephones  are  connected  and  work 
together  to  take  care  of  the  telephone 
needs  of  the  people  of  this  country. 

As  these  needs  grow,  and  as  the 
number  of  telephone  users  increases, 
the  system  must  inevitably  expand. 
For  the  Bell  System  must  always 
provide  a  service  adequate  to  the 
demands  of  the  people. 


American  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company 

And  AssocrATED  Companies 

One  Policy  One  System  Universal  Service 

Figure  2 


"And  I  havegmn^ilfeerto 
thank,  who  trained  me  in  the  habit 
of  brushing  my  teeth  twi^^a^^y. 

'*  But,  Betty,  you  have  som^lung: 
which  makes  the  habit  more  rof  a 
pleasure  than  a  duty,  the  ddBcious 

COLOaTE'S 

RIB%ON  OENTOL  CROW 


Reprinted  by  courtesy  of  Colgate  &  Co. 
Figure  3 


1 ' 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


f!'"' 


r^HONf^,^^  ^, 


MStMS 
TEUMOUt 


Fairy  Magic — Telephone  Reality 


.  j^' 


A  tent  large  enough  to  shelter 
his  vast  army,  yet  so  small  that  he 
could  fold  it  in  his  hand,  was  the 
gift  demanded  by  a  certain  sultan 
of  India  of  his  son,  the  prince  who 
married  the  fairy  Pari-Banou. 

It  was  not  difficult  for  the  fairy 
to  produce  the  tent.  When  it  was 
stretched  out,  the  sultan's  army 
conveniently  encamped  under  it 
and,  as  the  army  grew,  the  tent 
extended  of  its  own  accord. 

A  reality  more  wonderful  than 
Prince  Ahmed's  magic  tent  is  the 
Bell  Telephone.  It  occupies  but  a 
few  square  inches  of  space  on  your 


desk  or  table,  and  yet  extends  over 
the  entire  country. 

When  you  grasp  it  in  your  hand, 
it  is  as  easily  possible  to  talk  a 
hundred  or  a  thousand  miles  away 
as  to  the  nearest  town  or  city. 

In  the  Bell  System,  9,000.000 
telephones  are  connected  and  work 
together  to  take  care  of  the  telephone 
needs  of  the  people  of  this  country. 

As  these  needs  grow,  and  as  the 
number  of  telephone  users  increases, 
the  system  must  inevitably  expand. 
For  the  Bell  System  must  always 
provide  a  service  adequate  to  the 
demands  of  the  people. 


American  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company 

And  Associated   Companies 

One  Policy  One  System  Universal  Service 

Figure  2 


"And  I  have  grandmother  to 
thank,  who  trained  me  in  the  habit 
of  brushing  my  teeth  twice-a-day. 

"But,  Betty,  you  have  something 
which  makes  the  habit  more  of  a 
pleasure  than  a  duty,  the  delicious 

COLOftTE'S 

Rlg^gPN  DENTOL  CREiepl 


..w-  i-i„.-i^..tf.^iEj^ 


Reprinted  bv  courtesy  of  Colgate  &  Co. 
Figure  3 


...  i 


M 


't 


"The  stock 
ain't  fed  yet, 
Hiram!" 


% 


I   i 


i 


P'Hveu  jn  town   A>r  c<;iXltu^y■ 


irranf 


of  {xiiM-^i 


ixTxiirf.  are  xu; 


x!5  »*^.i!ch  r\  br;iusnt  victory  iw/n: 


"imlB^ 


.r^j 


i:;;^^)*,  i-Ct^iterw^s.*-- 


;  I  ;r;r^-  .f  "/f '  \^.- 


■^,ihUt 


T;;uv;*Xii::;H  ot  bv=?«tfs  afe  rtUKfivsu  «•;?!;  Bijisiirds,     Moine;'!;.  (ai!i«rs,  San;?  ;u>ii  i^a;!««V5r^. 


crvJK>t;v 


f  vvivjf  ftod;i^  Ist^;- win' boys  Si«!  >4ir)^i  iitA(!  k<?«p  ;Jicm  o«V  5ti*  stm^r 

SUPERB  BRUNSWICK 

Home  Billiard  Tables 

Hih  cs;:^x;tiy  Jskfr  our  f3>;:\';>us  ri-ifvj^ation  Sab5«j— i=>r  a)!  garsfs  o^  Caroui  and  Pocket  Hii- 
;  :>!  ■ ,     ,-::-♦  «\s''is  and  >:ji-iit',j«.s  thra  barraoaia*  -.vitb  hoRse  s«rj't>«r.(liuii;^v 

M,  -  svh..  arc  v^^isird^  ;it  Hsliwiis-   Hopj>e.  Svt«)n.  Is^iSiSn- -perform  th«;r  bav-t^p^t 
. -0  I ;,t'ic  ;,on.-;« s!:y!e<!.  ,  l.rife,  sp*p(L  ae'-.-ttracv- •  ^ti;  st ienttfic  play-.Kg  rjuaUtie^  are  attitsr.t'i' 

"GRAND"  and  "BABY  GRAND"  Playing  Outfit  FREE 

T^*■'■<.■>'A^'l>''ft^?=r'B.■^.BV^>f;,\^'f>'  hi*- •.>«P'-r5:'iV 

A  Year  to  Pay 

Ot;r  pv»pv;Uvr  px;xv:ti4*c  i>;«n  ■'-'>,?  >v'w  fr*  w);  ^>.-f  < 
-« ?ii-  A-  *;}'  l-ffi>»'f-_^t»i  i«»  -sSu'T'  pay  iXNittt!»<'r  -is  \  >«» 
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f?4;!<   jtiAtvi-rajf-Jw-l  Coe*.  fefti^V,  .Vii.-ij^*,  Spirit 
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Mail  For  BiUiardBookFREE 


J    **BiIliard«— The  Home  Magnet 

I 


^^^^ 


Figure  4 


Making  Arguments  Effective     135 

under  the  restrictions  imposed  upon  him. 
Many  of  our  successful  national  advertisers 
have  come  to  recognize  the  fact  that  the  artist 
is  demanded  for  the  most  skilful  exploitation 
of  merchandise.  The  literary  style  employed 
in  the  advertising  pages  of  our  best  magazines 
may  be  compared  favorably  with  the  editorial 
pages.  The  illustrations  which  are  the  most 
successful  meet  the  requirements  demanded  by 
the  combined  judgment  of  the  business  man, 
the  psychologist,  and  the  artist.  The  most 
convincing  arguments  are  those  that  most  ade- 
quately describe  the  merchandise;  most  skil- 
fully appeal  to  the  fundamentals  in  human 
nature;  and  are  clothed  in  the  most  artistic 
forms. 


IV.  Weighing  the  Evidence 

Arguments  are  not  assumed  to  convince  im- 
mediately but  to  lead  to  a  mental  see-sawing,  a 
weighing  of  evidence  and  a  passing  of  judg- 
ment. In  presenting  my  arguments  to  you  I  am 
on  my  guard  to  present  them  in  such  a  form 
that  you  will  actually  be  able  to  weigh  them  and 
to  pass  judgment  as  to  the  value  of  the  thing 
which  I  am  trying  to  persuade  you  to  accept  or 


•  (*■ 


II 


(.,, 


r 


fit,  I 

41    I 


t 


136    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

to  do.  I  therefore  present  my  arguments  In  a 
logical  and  simple  manner.  If  I  am  trying  to 
induce  you  to  change  to  the  *'task  and  bonus'* 
system  of  wage  I  must  show  you  what  you 
would  get  according  to  the  new  system  if  trans- 
lated into  the  terms  to  which  you  are  accus- 
tomed. In  this  way  you  will  immediately  pass 
the  judgment  of  ''more  profitable"  upon  my 
proposition.  I  must  conform  to  your  habits  of 
thought;  I  must  describe  things  in  a  manner 
which  causes  you  to  classify  them  favorably,  to 
imagine  yourself  as  accepting  and  acting  upon 
my  arguments  and  hence  enabled  to  weigh  my 
evidence  effectively. 

In  so  far  as  possible  we  all  reduce  our  actions 
to  habit  and  respond  in  a  stereotyped  way  to 
whole  classes  of  things.  There  are  certain 
classes  of  things  which  we  habitually  reject 
without  hesitation;  there  are  other  classes 
which  we  accept  in  a  perfectly  automatic  man- 
ner. Every  business  man  has  formed  the  fixed 
habit  of  rejecting  every  proposition  which  he 
classifies  as  unprofitable.  He  has  an  equally 
fixed  habit  of  accepting  anything  which  he 
classifies  merely  as  profitable.  The  function  of 
my  argument  is  then  to  cause  the  public  to 
classify  my  proposition  with  a  group  towards 


P'igure  5 


I 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


Ulliliiiilinf ■IliymiHHP 


■  l^Bip 


it! 


h 
[.1 


•t 


[^i 


136    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

to  do.  I  therefore  present  my  arguments  in  a 
logical  and  simple  manner.  If  I  am  trying  to 
induce  you  to  change  to  the  **task  and  bonus** 
system  of  wage  I  must  show  you  what  you 
would  get  according  to  the  new  system  if  trans- 
lated into  the  terms  to  which  you  are  accus- 
tomed. In  this  way  you  will  immediately  pass 
the  judgment  of  *'more  profitable"  upon  my 
proposition.  I  must  conform  to  your  habits  of 
thought;  I  must  describe  things  in  a  manner 
which  causes  you  to  classify  them  favorably,  to 
imagine  yourself  as  accepting  and  acting  upon 
my  arguments  and  hence  enabled  to  weigh  my 
evidence  effectively. 

In  so  far  as  possible  we  all  reduce  our  actions 
to  habit  and  respond  in  a  stereotyped  way  to 
whole  classes  of  things.  There  are  certain 
classes  of  things  which  we  habitually  reject 
without  hesitation;  there  are  other  classes 
which  we  accept  in  a  perfectly  automatic  man- 
ner. Every  business  man  has  formed  the  fixed 
habit  of  rejecting  every  proposition  which  he 
classifies  as  unprofitable.  He  has  an  equally 
fixed  habit  of  accepting  anything  which  he 
classifies  merely  as  profitable.  The  function  of 
my  argument  is  then  to  cause  the  public  to 
classify  my  proposition  with  a  group  towards 


EiV^ 


i-as-i 


y*.^-. 


Suppose  we  haven't  made  a  million. 

Let's  be  grateful  this  Thanksgivin' 

For  all  those  daily  blessin's 

That  make  our  lives  wuth  livin'— 

Thankful  that  we've  got  kind  fren's- 

No  debts  we  cannot  pCiy, 

A  lot  o'  health,  enough  o'  wealth 

An'  three  good  meals  a  day. 

I'm  thankful  I  can  stretch  my  legs 

Defo'  a  cheerful  fire. 

An'  smoke  cool,  mellow  VELVET 

In  my  sweet,  old,  seasoned  briar. 


<l^f" 


IN  THIS  season  of  thankfulness  for  the  fmits  of  earth,  let  us 
not  forget  the  "blessed  weed"  that  grows  in  the  Blue  Grass 
Country — Kentucky's  Barley  dc  Luxe,  thai  in  the  form  of 
VELVET,  The  Smoothest  Smoking  Tobacco,  brings  cheer 
and  comfort  io  millions  of  men. 

Many  a  Thanksgiving  feast  will  be  topped  off  with  a  sweet, 
old,  seasoned  pipe,  full  of  cool,  slow-burning  VEIVET  whose 
aged-in-the-wood  mellowness  brings  content. 

May  your  Thanksgiving  pipe  be  sweet  with  if. 

10c  Tint  5c  Metal-Lined  Bags 

One  Pound  Glass  Humidors 

■^^^4i£ttm_M^*MD5€actio  Oar. 

Artw 


P"igure  5 


s-m- 


^  \^^'^:.'         -^^r  ^.  - 


"X 


-X 


?"08ACCoi^ 


Z  w 


:::=ssms^isim 


Making  Arguments  Effective     139 

which  they  have  formed  the  habit  of  acting 
favorably.  Thus  if  I  can  get  business  men  to 
classify  my  offer  as  profitable  they  will  accept 
It;  if  they  classify  it  as  unprofitable  they  will 
reject  it. 

In  reality,  arguments  are  necessary  only  in 
advocacy  of  propositions  which  are  so  complex 
that  they  can  not  readily  be  classified  with  a 
single  group  of  things  towards  which  action  is 
stereotyped.    If  I  am  trying  to  persuade  you  to 
purchase  a  home  you  may  classify  the  purchase 
of  the  particular  piece  of  real  estate  as  securing 
a  home,  a  good  investment,  or  an  act  which 
will  please  your  family,  or  an  act  which  will 
bring  you  into  association  with  very  desirable 
persons.     On  the  other  hand  you  may  classify 
the  purchase  of  this  real  estate  as  the  sort  of 
deal  which  a  friend  made  and  on  which  he  lost 
heavily,    as   a   move  which  would  limit  your 
freedom  of  action,  as  removing  you  too  far 
from  your  place  of  business,  as  being  an  outlay 
of  money  greater  than   is   warranted   at  the 
present  time,  or  as  making  it  impossible  for  you 
to  be  in  the  market  for  a  bargain.    All  I  can  do 
by  argument  is  to  present  the  real  estate  to  you 
in  such  a  manner  that  you  will  be  likely  to 
classify  it  with  the  things  toward  which  you  act 


* 

- 


n 


:'!;  1 


llr. 


t'B  * 


OB   f 

ii 


140    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

favorably  with  the  greatest  alacrity,  and  to  try 
to  keep  out  of  your  mind  everything  which 
would  lead  you  to  classify  it  according  to  some 
of  the  unfavorable  groups.  As  a  real  estate 
dealer  I  must  find  out  what  particular  concep- 
tions of  real  estate  are  most  likely  to  be 
grouped  in  classes  towards  which  the  possible 
buyers  are  accustomed  to  respond  most  favor- 
ably. If  my  patrons  are  conservative  and  re- 
spond regularly  only  towards  what  seems  to  be 
particularly  safe,  then  I  must  emphasize  the 
substantial  nature  of  my  offerings.  If  they  are 
looking  for  an  investment,  then  I  must  show 
how  the  city  is  growing  and  how  there  will  be 
ready  sales.  Great  skill  is  required  in  present- 
ing any  commodity  so  that  it  will  be  most  favor- 
ably classified. 

A  business  phonograph  is  a  new  business  ap- 
pliance. Whether  the  business  man  will  pur- 
chase It  or  not  depends  upon  how  he  classifies  it. 
The  reproduced  advertisements  of  business 
phonographs.  Figures  6,  7,  8  and  9,  are  all  ex- 
cellent attempts  to  present  such  arguments  that 
the  customers  may  classify  the  equipment  favor- 
ably. The  advertisement  reproduced  as  Figure 
6  presents  the  business  phonograph  as  a  simple 
device  which  will   enable   the   correspondence 


How  many  times  do  you 
use  this 


when  vou  mii^ht  use  this? 


If  you  learn  to  use  the 


Dictatin^ 
Machine 


I'-f.-i-i  S.)!-'-/);i.iiMt,  ?p:;.ifv  'Mk!.'  !  V  r' 


it  will  double  the  output  of  letters  per  day,  get  each  day's  work 
out  on  time  and  cut  down  telegrapli  bills. 

The  United  States  spends  over  $27,000,000  annually  in  send- 
ing telegrams.  The  average  cost  ol  each  is  42  cents.  How 
much  do  vou  contribute'^  Far  more  than  vou  would  if  vour  mail 
w'as  promptly  handled. 


to 


I  lie  Edison  Dictating  Machine  has  been  developed  t 
its  jjresent  advanced  design  by  a  corps  of  experts  under    / 
the  personal  supervision  of.  I  homas  A.  Edison.    It  is  the  ma-         y^ 
c.hii>e  approved  and  l.ihcled  by  t{je  Underwriters*  Labors-  • 

tories,  Inc.,  under  the  (\\r(<ivm  ni  the  National  Board  of  Fitir  ^Send  in 

Underwrilers,  and  the  onlv  dictating  machine  equipped  with         /  ilu»  coupon 
»n  Auto  Index  for  conveying  correction?,  instructions,  etc.  / 

to  th<=>  transcriber.     Its  many  rnecfianicaland  electrical        ^Th>m»»A.Ldmi».\»c 
Hdvaritages   are  ex{>iained  in  our  lioqklets,  which  /  C>i»««».  N.  J.**' 

\'oH  should  read  betore  investigating.  >^..Sr**,'"^'?r  ^"'•^  ^-^^^ 

<^        Thr    If  ft  J  tii.'tirxi,  \fan,' 
Ser-iic     etertjtihetc,      inchidins    ikr    puncipat  y     iim  Mtchior  ma>  (ir  tcUptcd  iv  mr 


r(4lMk- 


^j^  200  I  »kf »id«  Aw. ,       y 

.  ~" .:~  ■ :  ;■  ::f ;:. .: _ •  •.  ,  ^.  Aadw«. 


Figure  6 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


I 


I 


140    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

favorably  with  the  greatest  alacrity,  and  to  try 
to  keep  out  of  your  mind  everything  which 
would  lead  you  to  classify  it  according  to  some 
of  the  unfavorable  groups.  As  a  real  estate 
dealer  I  must  find  out  what  particular  concep- 
tions of  real  estate  are  most  likely  to  be 
grouped  in  classes  towards  which  the  possible 
buyers  are  accustomed  to  respond  most  favor- 
ably. If  my  patrons  are  conservative  and  re- 
spond regularly  only  towards  what  seems  to  be 
particularly  safe,  then  I  must  emphasize  the 
substantial  nature  of  my  offerings.  If  they  are 
looking  for  an  investment,  then  I  must  show 
how  the  city  Is  growing  and  how  there  will  be 
ready  sales.  Great  skill  is  required  in  present- 
ing any  commodity  so  that  it  will  be  most  favor- 
ably classified. 

A  business  phonograph  is  a  new  business  ap- 
pliance. Whether  the  business  man  will  pur- 
chase It  or  not  depends  upon  how  he  classifies  It. 
The  reproduced  advertisements  of  business 
phonographs,  Figures  6,  7,  8  and  9,  are  all  ex- 
cellent attempts  to  present  such  arguments  that 
the  customers  may  classify  the  equipment  favor- 
ably. The  advertisement  reproduced  as  Figure 
6  presents  the  business  phonograph  as  a  simple 
device  which  will   enable   the  correspondence 


<M 


How  many  times  do  you 
use  this 


when  you  mii^ht  use  this? 


If  you  learn  to  use  the 


Dictatin 
Machine 


it  will  double  the  output  of  letters  per  day,  get  each  day's  work 
out  on  time  and  cut  down  telegrapli  bills. 

The  United  States  spends  over  $ 2 7, OOO.OOO  annually  in  send- 
ing telegrams.  The  average  cost  ol  each  is  42  cents.  How 
much  do  you  contribute)  Far  more  than  vou  would  if  vour  mail 
was  promptly  handled. 

l.lie  Edison  Dictating  Machine  has  been  developed  to 
its  present  tulvanced  design  by  a  corps  ol  expeits  under    / 
the  personiil  suporvit^ion  of 'I  homas  A.  Edison.    It  is  the  nia-  ^ 

;    chine  approved  and  labeled  by  the  Underwriters*  Labors-  / 

tones,  hu...  under  the  direcljnn  of  the  National  Board  of  I'ite  '^Send  in 

L  nderwrilers,  ar.d  tfir  unH  dictating  machine  equipped  with         /  UiU  coupon 
an  Auto  Index  for  ton  veving  correclions,  mstructions,  etc.  / 

to  the  transcriber.     Its  many  mechanical  ancf  electrical        ^Ty»fm»»\tA»t».\aK^ 
advantages  are  explained  in  otir  booklets,  which         •  Oi»n«e?N' f  **' 

vou  should  read  })efore  investigatins;.  ^  ^mtvoAmr  yoat  t«wUei. 

>cf'af     ete'(jahei\',      including    thr    p; <.'JC(><*<'  X     inu  M»cKii>c  «>»>  I*  •d»p»«i «u  mr 


M 


y        ic»i  Mx)  rWrOrk*!  «<}T«nU«n. 


^-  200  1  «ike»id*  Av*. ,      .-y 

^^^omohCtSdlion^        Otanje,  N,  J.        y_ 


Figure  6 


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tl 

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Ml.   \\'liil(\  ill**  senior  i-atlnrr    is    away,    m)    Im   5l<'Si<.gra|)her    ^jx-mls    iwr 
time  reading  arul  d-ting  lancy  work. 

Mr.     Black,    the     iunior     [>artner.    had    only   six    ktler?    to    {li<  tale,   ^o    his 
slenograjthef   gets   thi"VJgh   arnJ   g<;es   ln>ine   eari\. 


Mr.  Grev.  the  clue!  correspondence  cleik.  dictated  all  niornint;  to  hi-^  j^teno- 
gra})h^^v.  She  tian-cnhed  all  aiternoon,  and  6  o'clock  was  iio\\h<  r«--  near 
thnaioli.      Now    \\    the 


Edison  ^^ 


ne 


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woukl  l)c  urjllea 


this  otfjce.  the  typ<.*\v riling  work  could  Le  ciiuailv  clivi-icd,  all  the  Irtlcrs 
bffore  « !<»ing  lime,  nohody  wojtj  lie  ove»A\ofkfd.  ■Ani\  no  time  would 

he  \va<tef.l,  for  anyone  f  an  ur,tl<"i.<tarul  letter*  dii  tateJ  lh»s  way  a? 

^■ajiiy  a*  a  telephone  cot)\er<afi«^n  c.tu  ht;  uivierftood.  ^ 

y     ihr  r,tiiwn  Ditialiaij  Mat  hsne  ha«  \>et\\  i\r\  eloped  lo  its  present      ^ 
advaficet)  design  by  a  corps  >\  exj>'.nts  ur.der  the  personal        /^      .  . 
suprrvi'^ionof  Thrtnas  A.  FaJisoi!.     It  i5  the  machine  rtppiovetl         /_ 
atidlaheledhytheLruleruriter*'Lal)oratories''»~.. under  the     ^     '*  ^""P*"" 
(life<  ti;.n  of  tlic  National  Board  of  h  ire  L  fulerwriter*.  and       ^  \\,M*t\  R<Ji.oa.li««. 
the  onh  Hk  talinK  machine  equip(>ed  w  i<h  an  Aiilo,  hidcx       •       2iXi  i  .k'«i»  -w 
lor  convrvsnp  .  ...re.:l)on-<   .n«tru.:t.on».  -k,.  to  tiv  l^.v.KnUi.  •  ^^^  ^^  ^^  ^^^,  ,^ 

!!»  niar.v  in*'<hitJii«al  ani.1  eUitrual  *viv^nia)j«  atf  "Xi>Ui!i»'<3  ^  l^«.Kjf».   " 7  A*    <'oo<f.    (Ac 

111  <ur  f.'.<  kit.  vvIikK  you  S.!«>utd  n-A'.]  bfk  r<-  iliV'ti^'-^ltn^'.  ^      Typeanirt  anj    ihf^    M'.-'J'/ 


.Sfr: 


t'ccriju'lieie,     irtilu-Jins}    the 
C<in'i^^ian  Cilies. 


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.        M»vKir,r  m«>  !•■  »d»»jl«i  I"  ir.v  %«*fk, 
r^    Old  y.mr   l«».k!»'!  on  i»«  m«<  >»»»»!  ««<J 
/      rt«>l!i>-«l  rMiv«tiU«f*. 

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Figure  7 


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KJUOUCXXXUGEIIKKXrCT  CCCII.I.I. 


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■     an 

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ill! 

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''''2_iuv'''-''i'^' 


Making  the 

"Big  Man" 
More  Productive 

The  Edison  Dictating  Machine  gives  the  valuable  man  more  time 
for  productive  work.  It  means  increased  efficiency  for  the  "big 
man."  It  is  a  time-saving  measure  applied  w  here  it  yields  the  greatest 
returns.     A  sound  business  investment. 

'^^^  17  J  C  ^  ^  ^  Dictating 
iLaiSOn  MachinI 

and  Transophone 

.  J  he  Edison  Dictating  Machine  makes  you  independent  of  another's  leisure  or 
convenience.  It  is  ready  for  service  at  any  lime^- early  or  late.  Mr.  Edison  has 
developed  it  lo  the  highest  perfection  in  points  of  service  and  convenience. 

Tlie  Tranisophone,  his  latest  invenlion,  is  a  boon  to  the  stenographer. 

Tiie  L<ii»on  rcprevntativc  in  yout  tov,n  wiil  g!a<j!y  give  you  a  friic  d^iuoDilifttion  upon  request. 

This  Coupon  Brings  Our  Literature 

t}«-  J..-ti«<i  l)Hl:i<wt  ^!8rr,in-  tsl«^.-(T.iai  Ml  «v,i;lbl  h  '■(  i:.  lb.-  i!i,-(:.  .'a|-  (.iiria.-,,  f.n.cf       l\; 
KUivftUtc  many  ru-vi  tod  ciciu«vr  icat.ifrs  v-'i.irH  Mi,  Edium  tiss  „Mt.i-  :ci.d  ilw  r.j.iism ■  - 1.-,^» 


s'jjtes 


vnonuwfl.ulkioju 


D«pl.   13f>4. 
Orange,  N.  J. 


Xocl^fr.^rftt^d 


THOMAS  A.   EDISON,  Inc. 
Dept.  1394,  ORANGE,  N.  J. 

GcDjIi'nien:  -  Pki5<-  »cnU  n)e  Urc  antl  wi  hoot  ohligation  your  timAlei  on 
cort«fK)nd<-nce  Hficiency,  "The  1  ifr<l  Buun>-sji  Man." 

M«mr 


A46trfn 


Your  Fimi  N«rn* 


Figure  8 


tJ 


u 


\i 


Mr.  Edison   Presents 

The  Edison 

Dictating  Machine 

an^Transophone 

better  and  more  desirable  than  ever 


Pressed  steel 
construction 

in  pedestal,  cylinder  rack 
and  cabinet  contribute  to 
strength,  durability  auid 
lightness. 

The  accessibility 

of  parts  bears  an  impi.>r- 
tant  relation  to  the  cost 
of  up-keep. 

Sanitube, 

with  germicide  filler, 
metal  tubing,  makes 
dictation  safe,  pleasant 
and  efficient. 

Covered  Wheels 

avoid  annoyance  while 
speaking;  protect  parts. 

Self-Stopper 

saves  motor  wear  and 
current  expense. ' 

Chip-Brush, 

cleans  the  ■  cylinder  of 
wax  chips. 

Locked-Arm 

prevents  losing  place  on 
cylinder. 


Double  Diaphragms 

arc  easily  replaced,  and 
make  machines  useful  for 
both  dictating  and  tran- 
scribing. 

Collapsible  Mandrel 

avoids  sticking  and  slip- 
ping of  wax  cylinder, 
aligns  all  cylinders  to  uni- 
form position  f  orindexing. 

Speaker-Guard 

protects  sapphire  points 
and  prevents  scratching 
of  cylinder. 

Friction-Grips 

attach  on  cartons  to  pre- 
vent cylinder  breakage. 

Auto  Index 

Easiest,  efficient  system 
for  advising  transcriber 
of  corrections. 

Edison -made  motors 
operate  on  least  current; 
are  strongest;  run  with 

Int  lieating  in  cnmpleUiy  rn- 
closeJ  cabinet*  without 
inrch.inical  ventilation; 
bmshr*  quitikly  rcplaceti. 


Send  for  the  booklet 
*'The    Tired    Business    Man*' 


^^^^^     TRADE     MARK 

IMCO««»0»9ATEO 

Dept.  1393,  Orange,  N.  J.  Service  Everywhere 


Figure  9 


Making  Arguments  Effective     145 

department  to  get  out  all  letters  on  time  and 
hence  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  sending  tele- 
grams. The  advertisement  reproduced  as 
Figure  7  presents  the  business  phonograph  as 
a  device  for  adjusting  the  work  of  the  indi- 
vidual stenographers.  The  advertisement  re- 
produced as  Figure  8  presents  the  phonograph 
as  a  device  to  enable  the  ''big  man"  to  become 
more  productive.  The  advertisement  repro- 
duced as  Figure  9  presents  the  business  phono- 
graph, not  as  a  device  for  rendering  any 
particular  service,  but  as  a  perfect  instrument. 

Advertisements  reproduced  as  Figures  6,  7, 
and  8,  each  emphasize  but  a  single  service  ren- 
dered by  the  phonograph.  The  last  of  this 
series  (Figure  9)  emphasizes  no  service  but 
brings  out  clearly  the  perfection  of  the  con- 
struction of  the  instrument.  Each  of  the  ad- 
vertisements presents  such  data  that  the  busi- 
ness man  who  reads  it  is  almost  forced  to 
classify  the  business  phonograph  with  a  group 
of  things  (avoidance  of  expensive  telegrams; 
equation  of  work  of  stenographers;  accomplish- 
ment of  maximum  by  high-priced  men;  perfec- 
tion in  details  of  office  equipment)  toward 
which  he  has  formed  the  habit  of  acting 
favorably. 


».,■ 


'•11 

'i\ 


;r  I 


II 


)     A 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


» piwiii— mi— i—H 


i    ^ 


Mr.  Edison   Presents 

The  Edison 

Dictating  Machine 

anof  Transophone 

better  and  more  desirable  than  ever 


Pressed  steel 
construction 

in  pedestal,  cylinder  rack 
and  cabinet  contrihuteto 
strength,  durability  and 
lightness. 

The  accessibility 

of  parts  bears  an  innpor- 
lant  relation  to  the  cost 
of  up-keep. 

Sanitube, 

with  germicide  filler, 
metal  tubing,  makes 
dictation  safe,  pleasant 
and  efficient. 

Covered  Wheels 

avoid  annoyance  while 
speaking;  protect  parts. 

Self -Stopper 

saves  motor  wear  and 
current  expense. 

Chip-Brush, 

cleans  the  cylinder  of 
wax  chips. 

Locked-Arm 

prevents  losing  place  on 
cylinder. 


Double  Diaphragms 

arc  easily  replaced,  and 
make  machines  useful  for 
both  dictating  aod  tran- 
scribing. 

Collapsible  Mandrel 

avoids  .sticking  and  slip- 
ping of  wax  cylinder, 
aligns  all  cylinders  to  uni- 
form position  f  orindexin  g. 

Speaker-Guard 

protects  sapphire  points 
and  prevents  scratching 
of  cylinder. 

Friction-Gripa 

attach  on  cartons  to  pre- 
vent cylinder  breakage. 

Auto  Index 

Easiest,  efficient  system 
for  advising  transcriber 
of  corrections. 

EdisoD-made  motors 

operate  on  least  current; 
are  strongest;  run   with 

lea  heating  in  compUleftf  eu- 
cloteJ  cabinet*  without 
mn'h.'inical  ventilation; 
brushp»  quickly  rrplaced. 

Send  for  the  booklet 
'^The    Tired    Business    Man" 


lARK 


^^^"^^     TRAOC     Mi 

IfMCORP'ORATEO 

Dcpt.  1 393,  Orange,  N.  J.  Service  Everywhere 


Figure  9 


Making  Arguments  Effective     145 

department  to  get  out  all  letters  on  time  and 
hence  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  sending  tele- 
grams. The  advertisement  reproduced  as 
Figure  7  presents  the  business  phonograph  as 
a  device  for  adjusting  the  work  of  the  indi- 
vidual stenographers.  The  advertisement  re- 
produced as  Figure  8  presents  the  phonograph 
as  a  device  to  enable  the  "big  man"  to  become 
more  productive.  The  advertisement  repro- 
duced as  Figure  9  presents  the  business  phono- 
graph, not  as  a  device  for  rendering  any 
particular  service,  but  as  a  perfect  instrument. 

Advertisements  reproduced  as  Figures  6,  7, 
and  8,  each  emphasize  but  a  single  service  ren- 
dered by  the  phonograph.     The  last  of  this 
series    (Figure  9)    emphasizes  no  service  but 
brings  out  clearly  the  perfection  of  the  con- 
struction of  the  instrument.     Each  of  the  ad- 
vertisements presents  such  data  that  the  busi- 
ness   man  who   reads   it   is   almost   forced   to 
classify  the  business  phonograph  with  a  group 
of  things    (avoidance  of  expensive  telegrams; 
equation  of  work  of  stenographers;  accomplish- 
ment of  maximum  by  high-priced  men;  perfec- 
tion  in   details   of   office    equipment)    toward 
which    he    has    formed    the    habit    of    acting 
favorably. 


f 


1 


■I 

f  t 
. » 


H 


I 


.H 


■It   ■ 

I' 


I 


146    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

In  presenting  my  arguments  I  must  do  it  so 
that  you  may  compare  and  weigh  them  with 
those  presented  for  any  competing  line  of 
goods.  My  duty  is  not  to  assist  you  to  call  up 
these  competing  and  contrasted  ideas  but  to 
hold  your  attention  so  far  as  possible  to  my 
offers.  I  should  emphasize  particularly  those 
points  in  my  commodity  at  which  comparisons 
with  other  things  are  made  most  readily  and 
favorably. 

Whether  my  line  of  goods  will  be  chosen 
when  brought  into  competition  with  other 
goods,  depends  largely  upon  how  it  is  classified 
in  the  minds  of  the  public.  If  I  am  selling  a 
steel  filing  case  it  will  be  selected  if  it  is  classified 
by  the  public  as  a  convenience  used  by  successful 
competing  firms ;  but  will  be  rejected  if  classified 
as  a  product  of  a  new  and  successful  method  of 
electric  welding.  It  will  be  chosen  if  classified 
as  an  economy  in  space  and  money;  but  re- 
jected if  classified  as  a  piece  of  office  furniture. 
If  I  am  selling  a  revolver  it  will  be  selected  if 
classified  as  a  protection,  but  rejected  if  classi- 
fied as  a  powerful  weapon.  By  means  of  sales- 
men and  advertising,  a  merchant  may  in  a  large 
degree  determine  how  the  public  shall  classify 
his  commodity.     Almost  any  article  of  mer- 


Making  Arguments  Effective     147 

chandlse  may  be,  and  actually  is,  classified  in  a 
score  of  different  ways.     Ordinarily  the  mer- 
chant  follows  precedent  or  habit  in  deciding 
how  his  goods  shall  be  classified  in  advertising 
and  in  selling  talks.     Whether  he  hits  upon  a 
good  or  a  bad  classification  is  largely  a  matter 
of  luck,  for  no  business  man  today  knows  how 
his  goods  should  be  classified  to  secure  the 
greatest  possible  results.     By  bitter  experience 
he  may  have  found  that  one  particular  classifi- 
cation  succeeds  and  that  another  fails,  but  he 
does  not  know  the  relative  merits  of  different 
classifications.     At  this  point  the  psychologist 
should  render  inestimable  service  to  the  busi- 
ness  world.     In  any  particular  case  he  should 
be  able  to  determine  the  relative  merits  of  dif- 
ferent  classifications.     He  should  be  able  in 
advance  to  determine  the  success  of  any  par- 
ticular appeal  in  comparison  with  any  other 
method  of  presenting  the  same  goods.     He 
should  thus  be  in  a  position  to  save  the  business 
world  from  some  of  its  unsuccessful  advertis- 
ing campaigns  and  hence  to  reduce  the  cost  of 
distribution. 

V.  Concluding  the  Argument 

The  argument  is  not  completed  till  It  ends  in 


I    !' 


I 


i 


S    i 


1  ' 


■ 


, 


148    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

conviction  and  execution.  The  classification 
leading  to  comparison  would  seem  to  necessi- 
tate the  conviction  and  execution,  but  unfortu- 
nately the  concluding  step  can  not  be  thus 
assumed.  For  example,  I  may  have  led  my 
employees  to  classify  piece  rate  as  a  wage;  and 
by  comparison  with  other  wages  they  may  think 
of  it  as  a  larger  wage.  But  before  the  argu- 
ment has  completed  its  function  it  must  lead 
each  man  to  go  through  a  process  of  thinking 
something  like  the  following  syllogistic  form 
of  reasoning: 

(Major  premise)  I  will  seek  any  oppor- 
tunity to  secure  a  larger  wage. 

(Minor  premise)  The  piece  rate  offers  an 
opportunity  to  secure  a  larger  wage. 

(Conclusion)  Therefore  I  accept  the  piece- 
rate  system. 

Perhaps  my  presentation  of  the  case  in  estab- 
lishing both  the  major  premise  and  the  minor 
premise  may  have  fulfilled  the  steps  previously 
specified  under  sections  i,  2,  3,  and  4  of  this 
chapter.  The  employees  may  thus  have  a  clear 
idea  of  wage  and  of  piece  rate.  The  piece  rate 
with  its  possibility  of  a  larger  wage  may  have 
been  made  to  seem  valuable.     The  piece  rate 


Making  Arguments  Effective     149 

may  have  been  classified  as  a  wage,  and  by 
comparison  may  seem  to  be  a  larger  wage.  The 
final  step  demands  that  these  ideas  should  be 
brought  into  the  form  of  an  actual  syllogism, 
or  into  some  other  effective  form,  so  that  the 
employees  shall  be  forced  to  the  conviction  that 
the  piece  rate  is  desirable  for  them  and  hence 
they  would  be  inclined  to  take  the  necessary 
steps  to  accept  it. 

In  using  argumentation  to  secure  a  high 
grade  of  employees,  my  task  is  not  complete  till 
I  have  made  each  candidate  go  through  a  men- 
tal  process  somewhat  like  the  following: 

(Major  premise)  A  man  should  choose  that 
employment  which  offers  the  greatest  ultimate 
reward. 

(Minor  premise)  Your  employment  offers 
the  greatest  ultimate  reward. 

(Conclusion)  Therefore  I  accept  employ- 
ment with  you. 

Most  of  my  argument  may  have  been  de- 
voted to  establishing  the  ideas  summarized  in 
the  major  and  minor  premises,  but  the  success 
of  the  argument  is  measured  by  the  degree  to 
which  I  have  secured  conviction  and  execution 
as  expressed  in  the  conclusion  of  the  syllogism. 


I 


i 


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^  i  I 


\  i 

*  '    * 

'  '  I 

i  '  I 
,  (  1 

■  '  I 


I 


:f,li 


1 1 


150    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

In  selling  automobile  tires  by  argumentation, 
my  aim  may  be  to  cause  the  possible  purchaser 
to  go  through  a  series  of  mental  processes  that 
may  be  summarized  in  a  syllogism  as  follows : 

(Major  premise)   I  shall  purchase  the  tire 
that  gives  me  the  lowest  cost  per  mile. 

(Minor  premise)  Your  tire  gives  the  lowest 

cost  per  mile. 

(Conclusion)   Therefore  I  shall  order  your 

make  of  tire. 

My  selling  talk  (copy,  demonstration)  may 
be  devoted  mainly  to  establishing  the  major  or 
the  minor  premise.  In  establishing  these 
premises  my  dependence  may  be  on  the  mental 
processes  discussed  under  the  headings:  **Cre- 
ating  an  Adequate  Idea  of  What  is  Offered"; 
*The  How  Supplements  the  Why  in  an  Argu- 
ment"; "The  Place  of  Feeling  and  Sentiment  in 
an  Argument";  and  "Weighing  the  Evidence." 
But  the  result  of  the  entire  argument  Is  to  se- 
cure the  mental  states  expressed  by  the  customer 
In  the  "therefore"  of  the  conclusion. 

In  all  these  illustrations,  and  In  all  examples 
of  attempts  to  Influence  men  by  means  of  argu- 
mentation, it  is  not  Important  whether  the 
argument  be  cast  In  the  form  of  a  perfect  syl- 


Making  Arguments  Effective     151 

logism  an  implied  syllogism,  or  in  some  form 
quite  different  from  the  syllogism.  But  it  is 
important  that  the  reader  or  hearer  should  be 
led  to  reach  the  mental  state  symbolized  by  the 
therefore"  m  the  conclusion  of  a  perfect 
syllogism.  r       ^L 


03 


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CHAPTER  VIII 
MAKING   SUGGESTIONS  EFFECTIVE 


OUTLINE 

Mankind  is  Influenced  More  by  Suggestions  than 
by  Syllogistic  Arguments 

I.  The  Working  of  Suggestion  is  Dependent  upon  the 
Dynamic,  Impulsive  Nature  of  Ideas 
II.  Suggestions   are   Given   by  External  Objects   and 

TTT    c  '"  ^''^^  ^''"''^''  *°  Imitative  Acts 

III.  Suggestion  Excludes  Comparison  and  Criticism 

IV.  Su^g«t,on     Secures    Direct    Response    Without 


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CHAPTER  VIII 
MAKING   SUGGESTIONS   EFFECTIVE 

Mankind  is  Influenced  More  by  Sugges- 

TION  THAN  BY  SYLLOGISTIC  ARGUMENTS 

We  have  numerous  books  on  the  study  of 
arguments  but  there  is  not  a  book  and  scarcely 
a  chapter  of  a  book    (so  far  as  the  writer 
knows)    which   deals  with   the   methods   and 
devices  of  utilizing  suggestions  in  business.     It 
is  interesting  to  the  man  in  business  to  know  l 
that  suggestion  is,  in  his  hands,  a  more  power-  \ 
ful  means  of  influencing  men  than  is  argument, 
but  what  he  wants  to  know  is  precisely  how  he 
may  give  suggestions.    The  methods  of  giving 
suggestions  and  the  sorts  of  suggestions  which 
will  be  effective  are  discovered  from  a  study  of 
the  principles  found  in  an  analysis  of  suggestion 
itself. 


I.  The  Working  of  Suggestion  is  Depend- 
ENT  Upon  the  Dynamic,  Impulsive 
Nature  of  Ideas 

From  this  principle  we  learn  that  in  giving 
suggestions  the  thing  of  importance  is  to  give 

155 


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!m! 


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156    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

the  idea  and  then  to  trust  to  It  to  accomplish 
results.  If  I  wish  you  to  purchase  a  particular 
make  of  automobile  I  must  get  the  idea  of  that 
automobile  into  your  mind.  If  I  want  you  to 
engage  a  certain  class  of  employees  I  must  get 
into  your  mind  the  idea  of  these  persons  con- 
sidered as  possible  employees.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  convince  you  of  the  wisdom  of  the  ideas 
but  merely  to  get  the  ideas  into  your  head,  and 
then  to  trust  to  their  dynamic  natures  to  carry 
themselves  out.  If  I  want  the  American  people 
to  go  to  an  exposition  I  must  keep  the  idea  of 
that  exposition  before  them.  It  is  not  so  im- 
portant what  I  say  about  the  exposition  as  that 
I  put  the  matter  before  them  so  they  will  have 
the  idea  of  the  exposition  vividly  in  mind. 

This  dependence  on  the  dynamic  force  of 
ideas  has  made  successful  much  advertising  and 
other  selling  campaigns  where  there  is  no  evi- 
dent attempt  to  convince  the  public.  The  ad- 
vertisement of  White  Rock  reproduced  as 
Figure  10,  is  a  quarter-page  advertisement  that 
may  possibly  be  very  successful.  There  is  no 
adequate  ground  given  to  convince  us  that 
White  Rock  is  "The  world's  best  table  water." 
Yet  the  idea  is  conveyed  to  us  by  these  words 
and  many  of  us  are  profoundly  impressed  by  it. 


Making  Suggestions  Effective    157 

This  may  be  a  very  good  advertisement,  but  if 
It  were  not  for  the  dynamic  force  of  the  idea 

"Tki  WbrU*9  Best  Table  Water**^ 

Figure  10 


conveyed   the    advertisement  would   be   prac- 
tically worthless. 

When  we  speak  of  the  dynamic,  Impulsive 
nature  of  Ideas,  we  are  using  the  word  idea  In 
the  broadest  possible  sense  and  Inclusive  of  all 
such  mental  processes  as  sensations,  percep- 
tions. Images,  and  memory.  Some  of  these 
mental  processes  are  much  more  dynamic  than 
others.  That  Is  to  say,  some  of  them  lead  to 
action  more  surely  than  others. 

Perceptions  axe_rnore  dynamic  than  memory 
or  any  form  of  mental  image.  The  visual  per- 
ception of  a  peach  (actually  seeing  It)  will 
cause  me  to  spend  my  money  more  readily  than 
any  memory  or  mental  Image  of  the  peach. 
The  mere  memory  of  a  peach  may  cause  my 
mouth  to  water  but  the  sight  of  the  ripe  fruit 


//  / 


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158     Influencing  Men  in  Business 

affects  me  to  an  even  greater  degree.  In  the 
history  of  the  race,  individuals  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  act  mainly  upon  perception  and  less 
often  upon  memory  or  imagination. 

Although  we  react  readily  to  things  that 
reach  us  directly  through  our  senses,  we  react 
less  readily  to  tJiose  things  which  reach  us  indi- 
rectly by  means  of  such  symbols  as  printed  and 
spoken  words.  Pictures,  especially  if  colored, 
are  like  the  actual  visual  perceptions  of  the  ob- 
ject. Hence  pictures  are  more  dynamic  than 
verbal  descriptions.  A  diagram  or  a  chart  also 
partakes  of  the  nature  of  direct  perception  and 
frequently  secures  action  in  a  most  astonishing 
way.  Thus  in  Figures  11,  12,  13,  and  14,  the 
reproduced  advertisements  convince  and  move 
the  public  in  a  way  impossible  for  mere  verbal 
descriptions.  --^ 

A  spoken  or  printed  wordyis  a  less  effective 
method  of  presenting  a  thing  or  a  cause  than  is 
a  picture  or  any  real  object  which  has  become 
associated  with  the  thing  or  the  cause.  The 
sight  of  the  ruins  in  the  Forum  at  Rome  in- 
spires one  with  awe  for  ancient  civilization  in  a 
way  impossible  for  words  to  accomplish.  The 
effect  of  monuments  and  memorials  is  most  pro- 
found, and  is  due  to  the  fact  that  visual  perccp- 


JW^ 


\ 


Making  Suggestions  Effective    159 

tions  are  more  dynamic  than  symbolic  ideas. 
The  effect  of  souvenirs  and  novelty  advertising 
is  due  to  the  same  cause.  The  sight  and  the 
touch  of  a  real  object  associated  with  a  par- 
ticular line  of  merchandise,  influences  us  toward 
that  merchandise  in  a  striking  way. 

Positive  ideas  are  more  dynamic  than  nega- 
tive ones,  even  when  logically  they  seem  identi- 
cal. *The  chances  are  only  one  to  four  that 
you  will  lose,'*  is  logically  identical  with  the 
statement,  "The  chances  are  four  to  one  that 
you  will  win."  The  latter  would  secure  re- 
sponse more  readily  than  the  former.  The 
statement,  "It  will  keep  perfectly  for  thirty 
days,''  is  more  dynamic  than  the  statement,  "It 
will  not  begin  to  decay  for  thirty  days."  The 
human  mind  responds  more  readily  to  the  posi- 
tive idea  than  to  the  negative,  even  in  instances 
where  differences^ in  response  might  not  be  an- 
ticipated. "Walk  down  the  middle  of  the 
plank,"  is  carried  out  more  readily  than  "Don't 
step  near  the  edges  of  the  plank."  "Look 
straight  ahead,"  is  a  command  less  difficult  than 
"Don't  look  to  the  right  or  the  left."  "Secure 
the  genuine,"  is  more  effective  than  "Avoid 
substitution." 

We  are  also  accustomed  to  respond  to  single 


I 


ii 


1 60    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

things  rather  than  to  groups  of  things ;  to  con- 
crete situations  rather  than  to  abstractions;  to 
objects  within  the  focus  of  attention  rather  than 
to  those  on  the  fringe  of  consciousness. 


.m 


II.  Suggestions  are  Given  by  External 
Objects  and  Result  in  Acts  Similar 
TO  Imitative  Acts 

The  effectiveness  of  a  suggestion  depends 
much  upon  the  source  from  which  it  comes. 
The  most  powerful  source  is  a  person  who 
assumes,  and  is  believed  to  possess,  a  friendly 
and  sympathetic  attitude.  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  one  of  the  most  successful  of  American 
diplomats.  He  knew  how  to  deal  with  men 
and  fortunately  he  has  given  advice  on  this 
particular  point: 

"When  the  conduct  of  men  is  designed  to  be 
influenced,  persuasion,  kind,  unassuming  per- 
suasion, should  ever  be  adopted.  It  is  an  old 
and  true  maxim  that  *a  drop  of  honey  catches 
more  flies  than  a  gallon  of  gall.'  So  with  men. 
If  you  would  win  a  man  to  your  cause,  first  con- 
vince him  that  you  are  his  sincere  friend. 
Therein  is  a  drop  of  honey  that  catches  his 
heart,  which,   say  what  he  will,   when  once 


m 


Making  Suggestions  Effective    161 

gained,  you  will  find  but  little  trouble  in  con- 
vincing his  judgment  of  the  justice  of  your 
cause,  if  indeed  that  cause  really  be  a  just  one. 
On  the  contrary,  assume  to  dictate  to  his  judg- 
ment, or  to  command  his  action,  or  to  mark 
him  as  one  to  be  shunned  and  despised,  and  he 
will  retreat  within  himself,  close  all  the  avenues 
to  his  head  and  his  heart;  and  though  your 
cause  be  naked  truth  itself,  and  though  you 
throw  it  with  more  than  Herculean  force  and 
precision,  you  will  be  no  more  able  to  pierce 
him  than  to  penetrate  the  hard  shell  of  a  tor- 
toise with  a  rye  straw.  Such  is  man,  and  so 
must  he  be  understood  by  those  who  would  lead 
him,  even  to  his  own  best  Interests.'* 

The  sympathetic  foreman  and  salesman  in 
their  dealings  with  men,  accomplish  results  that 
are  Impossible  for  their  less  sympathetic  com- 
petitors. Certain  organizations  have  come  to 
realize  that  In  training  salesmen  the  most  im- 
portant result  IS  to  beget  a  feeling  of  real  inter- 
est in  and  sympathy  for  the  customers  with 
whom  they  are  to  deal.  They  must  be  taught  to 
assume  the  attitude  of  sympathetic  helpfulness. 

Prestige  transforms  all  acts  and  words  Into 
veritable  suggestions.  The  words  of  a  great 
authority  are  accepted  as  facts,  and  that  too 


I 


I 


K         -St 
1  t 


162     Influencing  Men  in  Business 

without  criticism.  His  acts  are  imitated  not 
only  in  the  field  of  his  specialty  but  also  in  the 
non-essential  details  of  his  daily  life.  The  man 
of  prestige  thus  determines  the  thoughts  and 
acts  of  his  fellows.  He  is  their  veritable  Bible 
and  rule  book.  This  working  of  prestige  is 
observable  in  all  human  organizations.  The 
nobility  of  a  land  sets  the  fashions  for  the  com- 
mon people.  The  city  dweller  determines  the 
philosophy,  the  religion,  and  the  ethics  for  the 
country  dweller.  The  wealthy  are  imitated  by 
the  poor.  The  successful  are  imitated  by  the 
unsuccessful.  The  athlete  is  imitated  by  the  fan, 
not  only  in  the  method  of  playing  the  game  but 
also  in  the  selection  of  clothes,  tobacco,  razors, 
etc.,  etc. 

The  women  of  Paris  at  one  time  were  sup- 
posed to  surpass  all  other  women  of  the  world 
in  womanly  graces  and  accomplishments.  Paris 
was  the  center  for  refined  literature,  for  paint- 
ing, and  for  all  the  other  humanities  that  might 
be  thought  of  as  womanly  in  any  particular. 
Because  of  this  fact  the  women  of  Paris  ac- 
quired great  prestige  in  the  eyes  of  all  the 
world.  Consequently  the  women  of  all  lands 
wanted  to  act  like  the  Parisian  woman.  They 
desired  to  imitate  her  in  clothing,  and  hence 


i 


Making  Suggestions  Effective    163 

costumes  purporting  to  come  from  Paris  could 
be  readily  sold  and  at  a  handsome  price. 

The  men  of  London  at  one  time  were  sup- 
posed to  possess  the  most  manly  virtues.  Their 
virility  was  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  in 
direct  competition  they  had  become  possessors 
of  the  colonial,  the  naval,  and  the  financial 
powers  of  the  world.  They  lived  like  gentle- 
men and  ruled  like  kings.  They  accordingly 
became  possessed  of  a  prestige  that  extended  to 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Because  of  this 
prestige  the  Englishmen  set  the  fashions  for 
the  men  of  the  world,  and  have  been  able  to  sell 
English  clothing  at  great  profit. 

The  indirect  method  of  giving  suggestions  is 
not  at  all  confined  to  verbal  expressions,  but 
may  include  such  devices  as  that  presented  in 
Figure  11.  If  the  advertiser  of  Scot  tissue  had 
said  directly  that  his  merchandise  had  most 
marvelous  absorbent  power,  I  would  have  ques- 
tioned his  statement.  But  when  he  makes  the 
statement  indirectly  by  means  of  an  apparent 
photograph,  I  am  convinced  withqut  any  ques- 
tion. If  the  advertiser  of  a  revolver  should  tell 
me  that  with  his  weapon  it  is  as  easy  to  shoot 
a  man  as  it  is  to  point  a  finger  at  him,  I  should 
naturally  question  the  accuracy  of  his  statement. 


4 


t   I 


N,; 


I 


164    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

When,  however,  I  look  at  the  picture  of  the 
Savage  pistol  (Figure  12),  I  feel  that  it  would 
be  as  easy  to  shoot  as  to  point  the  finger.  If 
the  Phillips- Jones  Company  should  assert  that 
they  had  accomplished  a  marvelous  feat  in 
uniting  shirts  and  drawers,  the  public  would  be 
incredulous.  Yet  by  means  of  the  picture  of  the 
magician  performing  that  act,  the  public  has 
been  convinced  (Figure  13).  If  the  owners  of 
automobiles  were  told  that  the  **lowest  cost  per 
mile'*  was  the  only  standard  for  judging  tires, 
they  might  be  impressed,  but  the  statement 
would  first  be  questioned.  These  same  owners 
are  convinced  without  any  questioning  when 
they  see  the  picture  of  a  tire  being  weighed  on  a 
scale  on  which  **lowcst  cost  per  mile**  is  the 
highest  weight  (Figure  14). 

The  words  of  a  great  authority  are  sugges- 
tions for  those  to  whom  he  is  an  authority.  His 
words  are  accepted  as  facts;  they  are  not  sub- 
jected to  criticism  but  are  accepted  unhesi- 
tatingly. This  power  of  suggestion  in  the  words 
of  men  with  authority,  with  power,  and  with 
technical  ability  is  made  much  use  of  in  dealing 
with  men.  The  expert  workman  becomes  the 
boss  of  a  gang  and  his  words  are  carried  out 
without  question.    The  man  whose  personality 


SeofBsj 


^ "' 


owels 


Absorbency- 

The  Quality  and  Price  Test  of  a  Paper  Towel 

No  purchasing  agent  of  a  railroad,  corporation,  factory, 
department  store  or  hotel  can  afford  to  overlook  the 
absorbent  test  in  buying  paper  towels.  This  absorbent 
test  decides  whether  you  are  saving  or  wasting  money 
—maybe  hundreds  of  dollars— on  a  year's  supply 

Since  the  primary  purpose  of  a  paper  towel  is  to  absorb 
water,  the  quickness  with  which  your  paper  towels  can 
absorb  and  the  quantity  they  can  absorb  in  a  given  time 
will  determine  their  quality.  This  photographic  illustra- 
tion  shows  an  absorbent  ScotTissue  Towel  rolled  up  in 
pencil  fashion  and  placed  in  a  glass  of  water— make  the 
test  for  yourself  and  see  whether  or  not 

^cofHssuelowels 


Hm 


Use  Like  •  Blotter** 

Are  Cheapest  by  This  Test 

Buy  your  paper  towels  on  this  absorption  test  and  you 
will  be  satisfied.  Find  out.whether  you  are  paying 
paper  towel  prices  for  paper  only  or  whether  you  are 
buying  absorbent  paper.  There  is  a  mighty  big  differ- 
ence. ScotTissue-s  go  further  and  cost  you  less  because 
they  absorb  quicker  and  absorb  more  water 

To  Large  Consumers 

Our  Service  Department  is  prepared  to  study  conditions  in  your 
establishment  and  devise  means  for  effecting  substantial  econ- 
omies in  your  paper  towel  and  toilet  paper  supplies  You  will  be 
surprised  to  find  in  how  many  different  ways  they  can  do  this  and 
the  amount  they  can  save  you  This  entirely  apart  from  the  great 
saving  which  the  installation  of  ScotTissue  Towels  and  other 
ScotTissue  products  will  show  you. 

^u^  ^'''  ^^"<*- .»"  charges  prepaid.  750  ScotTissue 
absorbent  Toweh  'orBOOwest  of  Mississippi  River  and 
in  Canada)  fort2  00   An  economical  fixture  $1  extra 

SCOTT  PAPER  COMPANY  PhiUdelphia.  P.. 

Maken  o/ ScolTiuue  ToifieU  and  Toikt  Paper 


Figure  11 


I 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


!  ! 

t  t 

'}  \ 

-■  li 


k 


f    1 


164    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

When,  however,  I  look  at  the  picture  of  the 
Savage  pistol  (Figure  12),  I  feel  that  it  would 
be  as  easy  to  shoot  as  to  point  the  finger.  If 
the  Phillips-Jones  Company  should  assert  that 
they  had  accomplished  a  marvelous  feat  in 
uniting  shirts  and  drawers,  the  public  would  be 
incredulous.  Yet  by  means  of  the  picture  of  the 
magician  performing  that  act,  the  public  has 
been  convinced  (Figure  13).  If  the  owners  of 
automobiles  were  told  that  the  ^lowest  cost  per 
mile"  was  the  only  standard  for  judging  tires, 
they  might  be  impressed,  but  the  statement 
would  first  be  questioned.  These  same  ow^ners 
are  convinced  without  any  questioning  when 
they  see  the  picture  of  a  tire  being  weighed  on  a 
scale  on  which  **lowest  cost  per  mile''  is  the 
highest  weight  (Figure  14). 

The  words  of  a  great  authority  are  sugges- 
tions for  those  to  whom  he  is  an  authority.  His 
words  are  accepted  as  facts;  they  are  not  sub- 
jected to  criticism  but  are  accepted  unhesi- 
tatingly. This  power  of  suggestion  in  the  words 
of  men  with  authority,  with  power,  and  with 
technical  ability  is  made  much  use  of  in  dealing 
with  men.  The  expert  workman  becomes  the 
boss  of  a  gang  and  his  words  are  carried  out 
without  question.    The  man  whose  personality 


ow«ls 


Absorbency 

The  Quality  and  Price  Test  of  a  Paper  Towel 

No  purchasing  agent  of  a  railroad,  corporation,  factory, 
department  store  or  hotel  can  afford  to  overlook  the 
absorbent  test  in  buying  paper  towels.  This  absorbent 
test  decides  whether  you  are  saving  or  wasting  money 
—maybe  hundreds  of  dollars— on  a  year's  supply 

Since  the  primary  purpose  of  a  paper  towel  is  to  absorb 
water,  the  quickness  with  which  your  paper  towels  can 
absorb  and  the  quantity  they  can  absorb  in  a  given  time 
will  determine  their  quality.  This  photographic  illustra- 
tion shows  an  absorbent  ScotTissue  Towel  rolled  up  in 
pencil  fashion  and  placed  in  a  glass  of  water— make  the 
test  for  yourself  and  see  whether  or  not 

ScoflTssttelowels 


61  ASS 


If 


Use  Like  a  Blotter" 


Are  Cheapest  by  This  Test 

Buy  your  paper  towels  on  this  absorption  test  and  you 
will  be  satisfied.  Find  out.whether  you  are  paying 
paper  towel  prices  for  paper  only  or  whether  you  are 
buying  absorbent  paper.  There  is  a  mighty  big  differ- 
ence. ScotTissue-s  go  further  and  cost  you  less  because 
they  absorb  quicker  and  absorb  more  water 

To  Large  Consumers 

Our  Service  Department  is  prepared  to  study  conditions  in  your 
establishment  and  devise  means  for  effecting  substantial  econ- 
omies in  your  paper  towel  and  toilet  paper  supplies  You  will  be 
surprised  to  Hnd  in  how  many  different  ways  they  can  do  this  and 
the  amount  they  can  save  you  This  entirely  apart  from  the  ereal 
saving  which  the  installation  of  ScotTissue  Towels  and  other 
ScotTissue  products  will  show  you. 

We  w'lll  send,  all  charges  prepaid.  750  ScotTissue 
a&sorftfn/ Towels  'or600  west  of  Mississippi  River  and 
in  Canada)  for  12  00.  An  economical  fixture  tl  extra 

SCOTT  PAPER  COMPANY  PhiUdelphi*.  P.. 

Maker*  of  ScolTiuut  Tojpeli  and  Toilel  Paper 


Figure  11 


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9, 


SAVAGE 

The  ONLT  Automatic 


that  Skoots 

lO  shots 

QuickLhs. 

6  or  8  in  all  otker  makes 

and  Aims  easy  as 
pointing  your  linger. 


Figure  12 


U  The  only  thing  in  the  world  that  will  get 
there  without  apparently  moving  is  a  shirt- 
tail.  -  You  know  where — up ! ! 

H  Obviate  discomfort— What  good  is  a 
shirttail  anyway? 

If  That  means  GLUS  — the  shirt  with 
drawers  attached — same  price  as  the  ordi- 
nary shirt  because  the  tail  material  is  used 
for  drawers — sensible  economy. 

$1.50,— $2,— $2.50,— $3,  up  to  $12. 

OLUS  ONE  PIECE  PAJAMA.  Delight- 
ful for  lounging  or  sleeping.  No  strings  to 
tighten  or  come  loose.  $1.50, — $2, — $2.50, 
— $3,— $3.50  and  $4. 


If  your  dealer  cannot  supply  you,  write 
us.     Olus  booklet  on  request. 

PHILLIPS-JONES  COMPANY,  he. 

1199  Broadway,  Dept.  S,  New  York 


^ 

!5 


Figure  13 


\  ''• 


^^V.■JW.Vl»^^>>x,,.x^^^5.^^VlM*»;«>W>^M■^^K;:■M(^.y;-;S*;":*:M^M*:*!A: 


— »        No  Rim-Cut* 


mm iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiwwi* 


;    "On  Air"  Cure 
To  S»*««  BJowOut* 

I    Rubber  Rivrti 

To  Cotnbat  Loo»e  Ti«n««1» 

AllWe*th«r 
Double-Thick  Trifad* 

-^    PopoUrily 

l^<w«»t  Co»t 
■    \    P<-t  Mil* 


( 


Weigh  Tires 
By  This  Scale 

The»e  are  th*  trouUe*  you  wish  to  cure. 
The«e  are  the  service*  you  seek.  But  a  tire 
can't  render  what  it  lacks.  What  thc^maker 
fails  to  give  it  can't  be  given  you. 

Let  us  avoid  generalities  and  get  down  to 
specific  facts.  These  are  the  ways  in  which 
Coodyears  excel.  These  are  the  reasons  why 
they  hold  tc^  place.  These  are  the  advantages 
they  offer  you  over  any  rival  lire. 

No-Rim-Cut  Tires 

Are  the  Only  Tires  Which  Weigh 
Up  to  These  Requirements 


Rim-Cut tirtg   ■■.  »>;;<(<•  i«>:vs*:W«-   «>    flifm. 
Am!  :lw  i<-;"--<-  »vl«.-i5  iu'Ak^^  >;  >rr';-<>'<<-«i»lt:  :s  « 

•.', ':;;>!i(vi  i.->l>f"'      <-i<*  rtiw!«ait~!i  w<<-^r"(.>!^-:\fr 
•••.:r:-     Th-s  !•>:-:<  (r.v.fs*      Jiix  i);:sl-<-.:r;H»;  f>^. 

<  rlif-r  m»if<rr  cm-.-ws  :i. 

Loom!  tf »•««!»  *f<-  <<"-:<i;!n;   '^\  i:   \n--tti 
m.t:;<<l  ■■y'r::A\  r<- ■■.:■.,- <-^  fi>(>  •k.-mi-:   \,\    <>(>    (.-r 

>•:<■!;:.<)  iki--::';iJ  ;!«■  v::i<"a'''4»M<«r:.       I  !•■'■<    >s    <<;'"•' 

AllW«*thcf  trend*  «■<•  vy?*;  w.  <.>t>.i':yf!a* 

n<-   flat   :»«f   s:;i<K(i\  v»  »t>»ry   c»n    ':««'    S:    (>!«!« 
■f<'a'\.      \{k\  sf  .•»>)>  *»<■;  "i:«*»  »N>;1>  <J<-!>1\  *harp. 

Popularity 

p;<':v:-»  ■••  ii(t«-r    "silt-ns   <A 
^■(•y^s  ful*  T:<>xi-«<.      i  t**'* 


OODt^YEAR 

No-Rtm-Cut  Tire* 

With  A«.W«i«h«rTr«ja»  or  Smooth 


Th«!  sh^'ws  ih<r  v.-r<!>ri  <i  ::s«s--l«»««ir?<J<iof 
(luw*!tr<is  ■><  '.Uf-v..  '  Ar.H  rKis  y<-<»r  i>f<-r»  itrf 
fi.»<>g:r;({  K<  <.>xi<lv<->irs  iV«;i»r  ;)><;:;  <:\«t  Ixrfr-r*". 

I  llfti!  I.  •!>((■  :••  1<^S  ;:'-:-ubW to  I  w<-r  >::>s^  («M- 

mJo  -  (•■  f.ist  ;!)?■  »~"<v'  jjs  jl>ui  >t>i;  s.  ••!(. 
16  Extra  Prices 

xvKivj;  (■••^.  »K<T  iJ'.an  <.«»:->Ktar  |>fi>.'«'S  oi:«»<- 
arc  <;<«--tinf  J  ?;«(;!•.«■«■.  Tt»>  >.i«-..-  !>>  namf  b«;<>fc 
KaH-)|)v:;  Ik; (JtT  <.'KX*JyM«'.  A::<;  WOIO  ■■Kar^Jp  f:>: 
tjifvc  <;(<■■>  "hi:;  {>-f>f:y«->-r  tsks  i"'-r  (<>vr. 

/.):>:■.'(  j;:<:g<r  lio-s  tn  (-rtr:<><.       Iht>><-  ;<ri   arhi- 
lr(»r\  f.>:~!».  W  <-tjf}>  ;l«r»»  Ky 

iht'm  bv.ll:«ir  vnwlh. 


tfCM^ 


\V  hon  vox  <\n  m>«  >o«"i; 
"Oft?  (i;«fK«'.»rs.  An<l  ;«>> 
lipal^f  wii!  supply  ih*n» 


Swi&'-fe'i'i'^i'i'ifiMif'^' 


^::fe«:ft..;>;i>...:ft:SiA;^ 


July   18,   1914 

Figure  14 


i 


THE  GOODYEAR  TIRE  &  RUBBER  COMPANY,  AKRON,  OHIO 


'ussssrmmwmmm*. 


Making  Suggestions  Effective    169 

carries  the  most  weight  is  assigned  the  most 
important  duties. 

Our  subjection  to  authority  is  so  great  that 
it  can  be  taken  advantage  of  in  most  absurd 
ways.  In  persuading  men  we  try  to  make  our 
words  appear  as  though  they  proceeded  from 
an  authority  even  when  a  moment's  reflection 
would  show  the  unreality  of  the  claim.  Thus 
in  the  case  of  the  reproduced  advertisement  of 
Van  Camp's  pork  and  beans  in  Figure  15,  I  am 
impressed  by  the  statements,  **Culinary  art  cohi- 
bined  with  science  has  revolutionized  Baked 
Beans.  The  dish  of  today,  as  baked  by  Van 
Camp,  is  a  new  creation.''  The  picture  leads 
me  to  suppose  that  the  statements  of  the  adver- 
tising writer  are  the  words  of  what  appears  to 
be  an  expert  chef.  The  statement  is  to  me  a 
suggestion  in  so  far  as  I  accept  it  without  criti- 
cism or  proof.  This  device  of  showing  what 
appears  to  be  the  photograph  of  an  expert  in 
connection  with  statements  is  a  common  one  in 
advertising  and  one  that  is  most  effective  since 
it  increases  our  suggestibility  very  greatly.  In 
this  way  the  prosperous-looking  business  man 
is  represented  as  approving  of  some  proposi- 
tion appertaining  to  business.  The  physician 
seems  to  be  affirming  the  statement  that  refers 


i 


iiig 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


m, 


i 


IHiHIIiiiMIII^^ 


"On-Air"  Cure 
To  S*v«>  BiowOutf 

Rubb«r  Rivrt» 

To  Cotnbftt  Loot*  Tresil* 

AII-W«»tHer 
D<>ubl«vThicii  TiT»d» 


Mf  ^5    PopuUrily 


Weigh  Tires 
By  This  Scale 

Thfte  are  the  trouUet  you  with  to  cure. 
Th<t«  are  t)ie  aervice*  you  aeek.  But  .a  tire 
can't  render  what  it  lacks.  What  th^maker 
fail*  to  give  it  can't  be  given  you. 

Let  us  avoid  generalities  and  get  down  to 
specific  facts.  These  are  the  ways  in  which 
Goodyears  excel.  These  are  the  reasons  why 
they  hold  t<^  place.  These  are  the  advantages 
they  offer  you  over  any  rival  lire. 

No-Rim-Cut  Tires 

Are  the  Only  Tires  Which  Weigh 
Up  to  These  Requirements 


Riin~Cutting  -t  mmU-  Ini'.y^ySU'  in   ihfm, 

A»»<l  :i»*    iV;"---€'  *.liic-;*  Hlfii^ry  K  >r«J^<>>*»l»k"   ::*    » 

Biow-wuli  slw  <■•.»««(«>»♦  Iik:vi.-i.x;<i«  <}>«■  *'> 
<■::■■:.       I  h:v  <■■.:.-;<  (xv.t'N*       •.(lis  f»".»}-<'-.:r;»»;  r>r: 

Loom:  tfo«W»  »ft-  <■<<'•  '.ksn;  S>    »    pt-roi 

<::  MO  :*h«'r  tiro. 

AUWe*lh«t  tre«<ia  »f<-  ■■  .;<;  .■: '  v>  .<;\i»r« 
■«!>.  '\\-r*x-  !:r<-  :-«Kh  ■»««)  <)• -uttlr  d>«.fe.  Ti%f.y 
arc  fe*l  ami  >;:;;<>•■( m.  «•>  ti>r\  ;»(>  ';so  f.  |>lsm 
ir«r(»*i.      I  Ix  .  s';>M>  "'■ 


Th*  sh-i-ws  i!«f  »<T«)ir«  of  "(MIS- •■■l»i«Ktr<'«!<K:l 
(m«i*»r;rfs  ■  <   '(trrrr,    '  Arifi   rKis   \<ar  ••♦•or*  srf 

iTiiio  -  (•■  t"*i  •''>»•  '~'»v--- gs  tim;  >(>«  s-  etc. 


'  ;"!■■<■ 


■'•V  »\i;Jj  <;*"■;■.  Hr;j*r:> 


Popularity 

tw'f^,>(<:  i>,-x»»  •■■  G»t>«;v«-sr 
u(fs  fufe  {'ifeti^Bi.      H""? 


OODtSYEAR 

ei*^  AMIOM,  OHIO 

No-Rim-Cut  Tire* 

Wiillt  Ait.WtMilK«r  Tf<MuU  or  SnyMith 


16  Extra  Prices 

Y«5i.  «Jr»(.<:«o  thc-c  f'-aUiffx.  i\.vtf  »»■,•  <(> molten 

hdti-)>K':;  l»aj<«T<.KN»ije.v.    A::<;  v-mr  .jiarije  fix 
twt-<-  i.i<«  «(«!•  {rfj^if?)**)'  Bsk*  i"r  t<>v.-. 

PhiS  ;.<» <{««»  ^■:•  (k:<  lai'fj  r«f(j«ir:.<-n».    V?>:!;|;li<<i 
tr»r>  (.»::».  W  r»j{U  !l»«-»n  Ky 


W  hon  ont  <{f>  «J«  you'll 
>♦(«:!  (I<;<Klv<-Krs.    Aim{  ;if(\ 


THE  GOODYEAR  TIRE  &  RUBBER  COMPANY,  AKRON,  OHIO 


ToftMilo,  Canada 

l>«Mte«M  C«M>  «ti«*«         S«w*rW«  K*4 


t«3  ffiKiM  <-'<<iM 


M«taie»  City,  Mexico 


July    18,    1914 

Figure  14 


Making  Suggestions  Effective    169 

carries  the  most  weight  is  assigned  the  most 
important  duties. 

Our  subjection  to  authority  is  so  great  that 
it  can  be  taken  advantage  of  in  most  absurd 
ways.  In  persuading  men  we  try  to  make  our 
words  appear  as  though  they  proceeded  from 
an  authority  even  when  a  moment's  reflection 
would  show  the  unreality  of  the  claim.  Thus 
in  the  case  of  the  reproduced  advertisement  of 
Van  Camp's  pork  and  beans  in  Figure  15,  I  am 
impressed  by  the  statements,  **CulInary  art  com- 
bined with  science  has  revolutionized  Baked 
Beans.  The  dish  of  today,  as  baked  by  Van 
Camp,  is  a  new  creation."  The  picture  leads 
me  to  suppose  that  the  statements  of  the  adver- 
tising writer  are  the  words  of  what  appears  to 
be  an  expert  chef.  The  statement  is  to  me  a 
suggestion  in  so  far  as  I  accept  it  without  criti- 
cism or  proof.  This  device  of  showing  what 
appears  to  be  the  photograph  of  an  expert  in 
connection  with  statements  is  a  common  one  in 
advertising  and  one  that  is  most  effective  since 
it  increases  our  suggestibility  very  greatly.  In 
this  way  the  prosperous-looking  business  man 
is  represented  as  approving  of  some  proposi- 
tion appertaining  to  business.  The  physician 
seems  to  be  affirming  the  statement  that  refers 


I 


,♦1:. 


■« 


170     Influencing  Men  in  Business 

to  the  medicinal  qualities  of  goods.  The  ex- 
pert accountant  is  depicted  as  recommending 
the  adding  machine.  The  typewriting  girl  is 
represented  as  describing  to  us  the  virtues  of  a 
new  machine.  The  beautifully  dressed  lady 
speaks  from  the  finely  executed  half-tone  to 
assure  us  of  the  peculiar  loveliness  of  the  ad- 
vertised costumes. 

Imitation  is  one  of  the  most  common  forms 
of  suggestion.  We  imitate  the  acts  of  others 
without  considering  the  advisability  of  so  doing. 
This  fact  is  most  significant  in  understanding 
methods  of  influencing  men.  We  Imitate  others 
more  readily  than  we  follow  their  words. 
"Come  on!"  Is  more  effective  than  "Go  on!'* 
If  I  see  others  looking  Into  a  shop  window  I 
too  am  Inclined  to  stop  and  look.  If  others 
are  Interested  in  one  class  of  sport,  that  is  the 
particular  form  that  entices  me.  All  fashions 
and  customs  are  but  testimonials  of  the  power 
of  Imitation  as  a  form  of  suggestion. 

In  persuading  men  it  is  frequently  possible 
to  avail  oneself  of  the  suggestive  force  of  imi- 
tation even  when  direct  imitation  Is  impossible. 
Thus  pictures  of  others  performing  any  par- 
ticular act  Induce  us  to  imitate  the  pictured 
actions.     The    advertisement    reproduced    as 


Making  Suggestions  Effective    171 

Figure  16  creates  in  the  mind  of  the  reader  a 
tendency  or  even  a  desire  to  imitate  the  de- 
picted action. 

We  imitate  most  readily  those  whom  we  look 
up  to  as  authorities  or  those  who  are  our  peers 
and  belong  to  our  social  class.  This  fact  is 
taken  advantage  of  by  presenting  pictures  of 
individuals  having  the  appearance  of  authority 
in  the  field  of  the  advertised  commodity.  At 
the  same  time,  the  individuals  of  authority  are 
represented  as  belonging  to  the  social  class  of 
the  possible  customers.  The  reproduced  ad- 
vertisement of  Firestone  tires  (Figure  17)  is 
cleverly  constructed  to  utilize  this  tendency. 
The  men  who  should  know  tires  are  the  dealers, 
the  automobile  owners,  and  chauffeurs.  These 
men  seem  to  recommend  these  tires  enthu- 
siastically. Furthermore,  these  men  are  of  the 
social  classes  that  purchase  tires. 

The  purchaser  of  a  mop  is  ordinarily  either 
the  wife  or  the  maid.  These  are  also  the  per- 
sons whose  judgment  of  a  mop  is  of  most  value. 
In  exploiting  a  mop  it  is  important  to  represent 
the  ideal  wife  as  approving  it  if  it  is  to  be  sold 
to  wives.  However,  if  it  is  to  be  sold  upon  the 
recommendations  of  maids  it  is  important  that 
the  ideal  maid  should  be  represented  as  using 


■■* 

t ;  if, 


h'^: 

I 


■-■» 


4 


h 


>^[ 


.',.1* 


ilil* 


Jll 


'  I 


I 


t 


■ 


172     Influencing  Men  in  Business 

and  approving  the  mop.  The  advertisers  of 
the  0-Cedar  mop  solved  this  problem  in  a  very 
clever  way.  In  their  advertising  they  represent 
their  mop  as  being  used  with  great  approval  by 
an  individual  that  may  be  interpreted  equally 
well  as  a  wife  or  as  a  maid  (Figure  18). 


III.  Suggestion  Excludes  Comparison  and 
Criticism 

If  I  am  trying  to  persuade  you  by  means  of 
suggestion,  then  I  must  see  to  it  that  no  thought 
of  other  possible  lines  of  action  should  enter 
your  mind.  I  must  not  mention  competitors 
nor  present  my  commodity  in  such  a  way  that 
you  would  be  likely  to  think  of  other  possible 
lines  of  action.  Also  in  presenting  to  you  my 
line  of  goods  I  must  not  compel  you  to  make  a 
choice  between  different  classes  of  goods  which 
I  offer. 

According  to  this  principle  in  persuading 
men  the  agent  avoids  all  reference  to  competi- 
tors and  the  salesman  attempts  to  hold  your 
attention  down  to  one  class  of  goods  at  a  time. 
Salesrooms  are  sometimes  so  constructed  that 
customers  can  see  none  of  the  goods  except  as 
they  are  presented  by  the  salesman.    The  sales- 


I 


of 

Baking  Beans 


II 


Culinary  art  combined  with  science  has  revo- 
lutionized Baked  Beans.  The  dish  of  today, 
as  baked  by  Van  Camp,  is  a  new  creation. 

No  home  or  hotel  can  produce  anything  like  it  The 
only  way  to  get  Beans  like  these  is  to  let  us  bake  them 
for  you. 


m 


Pork&Beans  ?^S^^^ 


AUo  Baktd  Without  th*  Saw 

10,   15  and  20  Cents  Per  Can 


Figure  15 


INTENTIONAL  SECOND  EXPOSURE 


t 


'iffi' 


i 


1  ■■ 


' 


lira  II 


172    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

and  approving  the  mop.  The  advertisers  of 
the  0-Cedar  mop  solved  this  problem  in  a  very 
clever  way.  In  their  advertising  they  represent 
their  mop  as  being  used  with  great  approval  by 
an  individual  that  may  be  interpreted  equally 
well  as  a  wife  or  as  a  maid  (Figure  18). 


III.  Suggestion  Excludes  Comparison  and 
Criticism 

If  I  am  trying  to  persuade  you  by  means  of 
suggestion,  then  I  must  see  to  it  that  no  thought 
of  other  possible  lines  of  action  should  enter 
your  mind.  I  must  not  mention  competitors 
nor  present  my  commodity  in  such  a  way  that 
you  would  be  likely  to  think  of  other  possible 
lines  of  action.  Also  in  presenting  to  you  my 
line  of  goods  I  must  not  compel  you  to  make  a 
choice  between  different  classes  of  goods  which 
I  offer. 

According  to  this  principle  In  persuading 
men  the  agent  avoids  all  reference  to  competi- 
tors and  the  salesman  attempts  to  hold  your 
attention  down  to  one  class  of  goods  at  a  time. 
Salesrooms  are  sometimes  so  constructed  that 
customers  can  see  none  of  the  goods  except  as 
they  are  presented  by  the  salesman.    The  sales- 


Baking  Beans 


Culinary  art  combined  with  science  has  revo- 
lutionized Baked  Beans.  The  dish  of  today, 
as  baked  by  Van  Camp,  is  a  new  creation. 

No  home  or  hotel  can  produce  anything  like  it.  The 
only  way  to  get  Beans  like  these  is  to  let  us  bake  them 
for  you. 


PorkaBeans  ^^^^ITcSL 

Alto  B*tk*d  Without  thm  Sauc* 

10.  15  and  20  Cents  Per  Can 


Figure  15 


nil 


,1 

1 


i 

■i 


I 


(^ ': 


*'Thc  'Emery'  label  is  a 
certificate  of  character  for 
a  shirt:  represents  thirty- 
five  years*  shirt-making 
experience;  stands  for  a 
manufacturer  of  national 
fame;  means  unsurpass- 
able workmanship,  finish 
and  style." 


"The  'Emery'  Nek-ban- 
tab  saves  my  time  of 
mornings — opens  the 
starched-up  collar  but- 
ton pocket  and  lets 
me  insert  the  button 
in  a  jifTy.  Only  the 
'Emer/  shirt  has  this 
convenience." 


"The  'Emery*  Guaranty 
Bond  (with  each  slurt) 
makes  'Emery'  shirts  a 
safe  investment,  whether 
bought  singly  or  by  half- 
dozens.  Fit,  color  and 
wear  are  Gaaranteed.  If  an 
'Emery'  shirt  goes  wrong 
the    dealer    replaces  it.'* 


It  pays  to  look  for  (^K0^  when  you  buy  shirts.  Price  $1.50  up. 
Your  dealer  can  supply  you.  Or  we  will  send  name  of  dealer  who 
will,    together    with    Catalog   of   Emery  _  Shirts    from    which    .to    select. 


Write  us  for  "Ethics  of  a  Gentleman's  DrestJ* 


W.  M.  STEPPACHER  &  BRO.,  Inc., 


Philadelphia 


Offices  also — New  York,  Chicago,  St.  Louis 


Figure  16 


l\ 


\j 


-I 


Figure  17 


.  ' 


u, 


Ml 


P 


15  J 


,♦ 


« 


'^''•WMiHiX^M^if^'.  ■ '  - 


Like  A  Fairy's  Wand! 

The  New,  Improved. AdjusiaUe 

Clianges  Dull. Lifeless  Floors  To 
Mirror-Like  Lustre  and  Brightness 

Miss  O-Cedar  is  the  good  fairy  who  keeps  more 
than  two  million  homes  clean,  bright  and  cheer- 
ful. One  sweep  of  her  wand  (an  0-Cedar  Mop) 
and  dull,  dingy  floors  or  woodwork  spring  into 
scintillating  brightness,  with  every  beautiful, 
delicate  detail  of  their  grain  revealed. 

Cleans  as  It  Polishes 

Sold  by  all  druggists,  gro-  / 

cers,  hardware  and  de- 
partment stores.  Either 
style,  round  or  tri- 
angular, in  two 
sizes  at 


/ 


/ 


/ 


and 
S1.25 


/ 


^ 


^^^ 


*Kl 

..-...-W'W&U. 


This  New, Convenient 
Handy  Handle  Hin^e** 

IS  now  a  part  of  every  0-Cedar  Polish  Mop 
and  makes  it  perfectly  adjustable. 

Ckannell  Chemical  Co..  Chica^  -Toronto-bndon-Berlin 


Figure  18 


Making  Sugigestions  Effective    177 

man  makes  the  most  of  this  unique  opportunity 
and  presents  to  the  customer  a  single  line  of 
goods  and  gets  a  decision  on  that.  This  speci- 
men of  the  goods  is  then  removed  from  sight 
and  another  presented,  but,  so  far  as  prac- 
ticable, the  customer  is  not  allowed  to  have  two 
possible  choices  before  him  at  once.  This 
method  has  proved  very  successful. 

We  are  more  inclined  to  question  a  statement] 
expressed  in  direct  language  than  we  are  the] 
same  statement  if  expressed  indirectly  or  ij 
figurative  language.     That  is  to  say,  figurativi 
and  indirect  language  increases  suggestibility/ 
This  fact  Is  taken  advantage  of  In  many  of  thfe 
most  successful  attempts  to  influence  men  of 
which  we  have  record.    Mark  Antony's  oration 
at  Caesar's   funeral,   as  presented  by  Shakes- 
speare.  Is  one  of  the  most  masterly  uses  of  in- 
direct and  figurative  language  in  stirring  men  to 
action.     This  form  of  expression  takes  us  off 
our  guard  and  keeps  us  from  criticizing  what  Is 
said.     In  fact,  the  speaker  does  not  seem  to 
assert  anything  which  could  be  criticized,  but 
he  leads  us  to  think  things  which  would  be 
criticized   and   would   lead   to   antagonism    if 
asserted  directly.     This  figurative  and  Indirect 
form  of  language  is  thus  able  to  instil  in  us  the 


I 


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If 


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178     Influencing  Men  in  Business 

desired  ideas  without  giving  us  any  occasion  to 
question  what  has  been  said. 

In  some  instances  the  name  of  a  commodity 
suggests  Indirectly  a  superior  quality.  As  ex- 
amples of  this  should  be  cited  Cream  of  Wheat, 
Ivory,  White  Rock,  Sunklst,  etc.  These  names 
suggest  a  quality  In  such  a  clever  way  that  It  can 
scarcely  be  questioned. 

A  spirit  of  frankness,  openness,  and  confi- 
dence allays  suspicion  and  Increases  suggesti- 
bility. The  man  who  has  confidence  In  himself 
and  his  wares  has  an  easy  battle  with  the  com- 
petitor who  lacks  self-confidence  and  who  Is  not 
sure  of  the  value  of  his  proposition.  No  man 
can  hope  for  respect  from  others  unless  he  has 
It  for  himself;  he  can  not  readily  win  others  to 
his  cause  unless  he  has  first  convinced  himself. 
No  man  can  do  himself  justice  In  a  calling  which 
makes  him  feel  apologetic,  and  neither  can  he 
successfully  advocate  a  cause  for  which  he  feels 
called  upon  to  apologize.  The  remarkable 
effectiveness  of  such  phrases  as  **The  kind  youUl 
eventually  buy,''  Is  to  be  found  In  this  spirit  of 
unbounded  confidence  which  the  promoter  dis- 
plays In  his  commodity. 

A  critical  audience  can  not  be  moved  by  sug- 
gestion.    Its  confidence  must  first  be  secured. 


Making  Suggestions  Effective    179 

The  task  of  the  advertiser  Is  made  difficult  be- 
cause of  the  suspicion  with  which  his  copy  is 
received.  The  public  are  not  Inherently  sus- 
picious but  have  been  made  so  because  of  their 
experience  with  advertisers.  The  first  great 
American  advertiser  was  P.  T.  Barnum.  He 
worked  on  the  theory  that  the  American  public 
liked  to  be  humbugged.  He  gave  them  what 
he  thought  they  wanted.  The  second  great 
epoch  In  American  advertising  was  the  exploi- 
tation of  the  worthless  and  even  harmful  patent 
medicines.  A  third  campaign  that  should  be 
recognized  Is  the  publicity  of  the  fakers  who 
still  continue  to  rob  the  American  public  of 
millions  of  dollars  annually.  P.  T.  Barnum, 
the  patent  medicines,  and  the  fakers  have  cre- 
ated general  suspicion  toward  all  advertise- 
ments. The  advertisers*  great  task  Is  to 
counteract  this  baneful  Influence.  They  are  suc- 
ceeding In  this  task  most  creditably.  In  our 
best  publications  all  advertising  firms  as  well  as 
all  copy  received  are  scrutinized  with  great 
care.  Almost  a  score  of  states  and  several 
large  cities  have  recently  passed  laws  against 
fraudulent  advertisements.  Satisfaction  guar- 
anteed, goods  sent  on  approval,  money  back  at 
your  request,   and  other  related  policies   are 


> 


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1 80    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

rapidly  coming  into  vogue.  If  by  the  united 
efforts  of  the  advertisers  of  America  suspicion 
could  be  removed  from  the  purchasing  public, 
suggestion  would  become  the  great  method  of 
exploiting  merchandise,  and  the  present  high 
cost  of  distribution  would  be  materially  re- 
duced. 


IV.  SiJggestion  Secures  Direct  Response 
Without  Delay 

• 

In  order  that  the  response  may  be  carried 
out  by  suggestion,  everything  must  be  done  to 
make  such  response  as  easy  as  possible.  We 
must  plan  that  the  desired  step  shall  not  be  of 
such  a  nature  that  it  would  be  likely  to  cause 
hesitation.  Thus  in  an  advertisement  in  which 
suggestion  is  depended  upon,  the  reader  should 
be  called  upon  to  do  something  which  is  simple 
and  easy.  Many  firms  find  it  wise  to  supply  the 
coupon  in  connection  with  the  advertisement,  so 
that  the  reader  may  fill  it  out  and  mail  it  at 
once.  Other  firms  offer  samples,  catalogues,  or 
demonstrations  upon  request;  goods  are  sent 
C.  0.  D.,  or  charged,  or  to  be  paid  for  upon 
approval,  or  upon  the  promise  of  money  back 
if  not  satisfactory.    These  devices  are  wonder- 


Making  Suggestions  Effective    181 

fully  successful  in  begetting  action  immediately 
following  the  suggestion. 

Great  ingenuity  is  exercised  by  some  general 


Quick  Delivery  Coupon  Brings 
The  OKver 


T3rpewriter 

Sevente^i  Coits 
a  Day! 

*Fhw  coupofi'On-wheeU  will'ruBft  the  OUvei 
Typewriter  to  any  poihc  in  the  States^  It's  our 
long-distance  Quick  Delivery  Service.  losert  your 
name  and  addraa,  atUch  check  or  draft  for  $15 
and  send  it  on.  Tht  Oliver  Typewriter  will  be  de> 
livered  in  record4>icakiag  time,  in  perfect  working 
order.  Yon  o^n  pay  tMilanoe  monthly  at  the  rate, 
of  seventeen  cent*  ^  day,  whilt  you  an  MWf  I**,' 
typewrilert 


"•1 

<Nicfc  IM(f«y  C«v«  «i  (M»  Haab 

ctoMd  pluM  Ritd  III  M  nirtm,  ^  „^  Mdk.  M 
tgrw  10  «■••  17  c*MS  a  dar  Mi4  MM  h^MM.  ■>. 


•**••••••••••••••••••• 

***••••••  ••'••••••••••• 


OLIVJCR 

/»/  Standard  Vitibtt  Writfr 

Our  army  of  Oliver  agents,  over  ts.ooo^ronf^ 
cannot  possibly  meet  personally  all  who  wish  to 
avail  themselves  of  this  Seventeen-Onts-a-Day' 
Offer.  We  print  this  coupon  to  meet  the  emergency^ 
It  is  the  Seventeen-Cents^-I^y  Selling  Flan  re-, 
duced  to  its  simple^  formiv  ~~^ 


^e  coupon  extends  the  advantages  of  this 
tremendously  popular  plats  to  tha'nwst  remote 
points  of  this  or  any  other  countfjr.  It  cuts  all 
-fed  tape"— does  away  with  delay— places  the 
worid's  best  fioo  typewriter  on  your  desk,  for 
•Seventeen  Cents  a  Day.  Put  your  name  on  the 
coupon  now  and  we  will  ship  your  Oliver. 

The  Oliver  Typewtittr  b  mad^  of  the  most 
.lejqiensivt  materials  employed  in  .typewriter  000- 
^•tructbn.  It  is  built  with  infinity  care,  by  highly 
^killed,  highly  paid,  workmen 

,  It  k)oks  easy  for  see  our  acres  et  special  madib- 
try.  directed  by  trained  brains  and  hands,  turn 
Cons  of  m^tat  into  trainloads  of  typewriteru 

But  bfck  of  this  vast  equipment,  back  of  the 
great  ofganizatioa,  back  of  the  big  expenditure— 
overtkadowini  all  im  importance— ia  THE  BIG 
IDEA  that  ^ods  expression  in  this  marvelous  writ* 
ing  machioeJ 


Figure  19 

distributers  in  suggesting  immediate  action  as 
well  as  in  controlling  the  conditions  to  make  the 
suggested  action  easy  of  execution.     Thus  in 


'■  1 


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182    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

the  reproduced  advertisement  of  the  Oliver 
typewriter  (Figure  19)  the  suggestion  to  action 
is  given  by  the  coupon  in  the  form  of  an  auto- 
mobile. The  ease  of  response  and  the  prompt- 
ness of  delivery  are  also  suggested  by  the  sen- 
tence, "Quick  delivery  coupon  brings  the  Oliver 
typewriter  for  seventeen  cents  a  day !" 

The  proprietor  of  a  large  railroad  lunch 
counter  inaugurated  the  policy  of  serving  two 
sandwiches  when  but  one  was  ordered.  The 
customer  was  in  no  way  obliged  to  eat  and  pay 
for  the  second  sandwich,  but  when  it  was  before 
him  the  suggestion  to  accept  it  was  so  strong 
and  It  was  so  easy  to  do  so  that  the  sale  of 
sandwiches  was  greatly  increased. 

After  the  salesman  has  properly  presented 
his  offerings,  he  is  in  a  position  to  say,  "Now 
that  you  fully  appreciate  my  goods  how  large 
an  order  shall  I  write  out  for  you  ?"  The  ad- 
vertisement closes  with  an  appeal  to  send  for 
circular,  to  write  for  demonstration,  or  to  call 
at  once  to  inspect  the  goods.  These  means  to 
help  you  to  decide  and  to  execute  your  decision 
are  quite  essential  since  procrastination  is  so 
likely  to  keep  you  from  doing  the  thing  which 
you  were  just  on  the  point  of  doing. 

In  purchasing  advertised  goods  (mail-order 


Making  Suggestions  Effective    183 

advertising  particularly)  there  is  usually  no 
reason  why  you  should  place  your  order  now 
rather  than  some  hours  or  days  later.  Every 
student  of  industrial  history  knows  that  in  the 
past  it  has  usually  been  true  that  the  person  who 
placed  his  orders  earliest  secured  the  best 
goods.  But  in  advertised  goods  all  orders  must 
be  filled  with  goods  of  uniform  quality. 

In  personal  forms  of  selling  the  presence  of 
the  seller  fixes  the  moment  at  which  the  buyer 
could  most  conveniently  make  his  purchases. 
But  when  the  seller  is  the  printed  page  appear- 
ing regularly,  there  is  no  particularly  appro- 
priate time  for  action.  This  is  one  of  the 
fundamental  inherent  weaknesses  of  most  forms 
of  advertising  and  is  an  obvious  cause  in  in- 
creasing and  making  habitual  this  natural  ten- 
dency to  procrastinate.  If  we  procrastinate 
purchasing  advertised  goods  till  a  more  con- 
venient season,  the  convenient  season  may  never 
come. 

A  short  time  ago  I  went,  toward  evening, 
from  Evanston  to  Chicago.  On  the  way  my 
eye  caught  sight  of  a  street-car  card  containing 
the  following  sentence :  "Why  not  take  supper 
at  Henrici's  to-night?'*  The  definiteness  of  the 
question  got  the  better  of  me.    I  went  to  Hen- 


I 


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184    Influencing  Men  in  Business 

rici's  for  supper  that  evening,  although  I  had 
not  intended  to  till  I  read  the  street-car  card. 
If  the  sentence  had  read,  *'Try  a  supper  at 
Henrici's" — it  would  not  have  been  effective 
with  me  for  that  night — I  would  have  pro- 
crastinated. 

During  the  months  of  October,  November, 
and  December,  certain  magazines  make  especial 
efforts  to  secure  new  subscribers.  One  year's 
subscription  received  in  October  is  good  for  15 
months;  received  in  November,  good  for  14 
months;  and  received  in  December,  good  for 
13  months.  Such  appeals  are  sufficient  to  over- 
come the  tendency  to  procrastinate  in  many 
instances. 

Offers  which  are  advertised  as  good  till  a 
particular  date,  are  sometimes  accepted  by  more 
persons  than  would  have  accepted  if  the  offer 
had  had  no  time  limit. 

All  these  schemes  to  secure  action  by  limit- 
ing the  time  within  which  an  action  may  take 
place  have  been  successful  in  particular  in- 
stances, but  they  are  not  subject  to  general 
application  in  any  way. 

The  salesman  who  depends  upon  the  power 
of  suggestion  presents  the  order  blank  at  the 
psychological  moment,  and,  without  taking  time 


Making  Suggestions  Effective    185 

to  consider,  the  customer  signs  for  his  orders. 

*  The  agent  completes  his  suggestion  by  skilfully 
putting  the  question  which  leads  to  the  order. 
He  does  not  say,  ''Will  you  take  the  policy?" 
but,  **Shall  I  make  it  for  ten  thousand?"  The 
agent  may  also  effectively  put  the  question  in 

.some  such  form  as  tJie  following:  **Now  that 
you  understand  the  nature  of  our  policy,  do  you 
think  your  wife  would  be  sufficiently  protected 
by  a  policy  of  fifty  thousand?";  "Realizing  as 
you  do  the  call  which  may  reasonably  be  ex- 
pected for  the  goods,  do  you  think  one  car  load 
will  be  sufficient  to  supply  the  demand?"  When 
the  customer  has  not  yet  decided  to  make  the 
purchase  his  decision  is  sometimes  forced  by 
such  suggestive  questions  as,  "Shall  I  send  it,  or 
will  you  take  it  with  you?";  "Shall  I  charge  it, 
or  do  you  prefer  to  pay  cash?";  "At  what  hour 
would  it  be  convenient  to  have  it  delivered  at 
your  office?"  Unless  these  suggestive  questions 
are  put  by  the  right  person  and  at  the  right  time 
they  are  absolutely  worthless.  When  properly 
used  they  are  most  effective. 

in  persuading  men  we  wish  to  depend  upon 


the  working  of  suggestion  we  must  not  only 
disarm  them  of  suspicion,  but  we  must  make 
response  easy  and  suggest  definitely  the  nature 


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186     Influencing  Men  in  Business 

of  the  response  and  the  time  at  which  the  act 
should  take  place.  The  degree  to  which  we 
accomplish  this  is  the  measure  of  our  skill  m 
carrying  suggestion  to  a  happy  conclusion. 


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Date  Due 


APR  2  6 1994 


J/253 


*       ^ 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  L 


BRARIES 


0041413660 


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K  IV 


END  OF 
TITLE 


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